a  I  E>  RAHY 

OF   THE 
U  N  IVLRS  ITY 
Of    ILLINOIS 

2)17.7 
H  14  * 


r       * 


NOTES 


ON 


THE    WESTERN    STATES. 


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&**&£{*  jr$*,/ArtT'  A 


NOTES 


on 


THE  WESTERN  STATES; 


CONTAINING 


DESCRIPTIVE   SKETCHES 


OF  THEIIl 


SOIL,  CLIMATE,  RESOURCES  AND  SCENERY. 


BY  JAMES  HALL, 

AUTHOR  OF  BORDER  TALES,  &C  &C. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
HARRISON  HALL,  NO.  72  S.  FOURTH  STREET. 

1838. 


*.  9  ■     \>  V.    **^«    V% 


Entered  according  to  the  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1838, 
by  Harrison  Hall,  in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court 
of  the  United  States,  in  and  for  the  Eastern  District  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 


I.  ASHMEAD  AND  CO..  PRINTERS. 


tn.n 


Vmn        \( 


If 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Western  Plain — its  limits — its  topography — the  general  char- 
acter of  its  formation, Page  13 

CHAPTER  II. 

The  River  Ohio — its  etymology — scenery — timber — low  water — 
floods — the  great  flood  of  1832 — impediments  to  navigation — pro- 
posed improvements, 21 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  River  Mississippi — general  character — Grand  Tower — scenery 
of  the  Upper  Mississippi, 46 

CHAPTER  IV. 

General  surface  of  the  country — the  alternation  of  forest  and  prairie 
— scenery  in  western  Pennsylvania,  western  Virginia,  Ohio,  Illi- 
nois, Indiana,  Missouri  and  Kentucky,  compared, 54 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Prairies—  their  surface — vegetation,  and  appearance  at  different 
seasons, 69 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Theory  of  the  Prairies — fires — ilifitrent  theories  respecting  the  for- 
mation of  prairies — plains  in  Pennsylvania  and  elsewhere,. .   79 

i  CHAPTER  VII. 

Soil  of  the  Prairies — explanation  in  reference  to  the  supposed  want 
of  timber, 95 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Destitution  of  water  on  the  prairies  considered,  and  explained — wet 
prairies, Page  105 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Wild  animals  in  the  western  states, 110 

CHAPTER  X.       %+i\  • 

Agricultural  products — fruits — gardens — floral  calendar  *-wood  and 
timber — domestic  animals, . 126 

CHAPTER  XI. 

The  Public  Domain — title  of  the  United  States  to  the  public  lands 
examined — objections  discussed — the  policy  of  the  government  in 
the  disposal  of  the  public  lands — proposed  reduction,  and  gradua- 
tion of  price, 1 50 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Western  Steamboats — discouraging  prospects  in  regard  to  naviga- 
tion, at  the  first  settlement  of  the  west — the  earliest  boats — intro- 
duction of  steam — history  of  the  first  steamboats — calculations 
relative  to  cost  and  expenses  of  steamboats — accidents — imposi- 
tions— number  of  flat  boats — table  of  distances  and  prices  of  pas- 
sage— alphabetical  list  of  the  steamboats  on  the  western  waters — 
comparative  view  of  the  number  of  steamboats  built  at  different 
places — comparative  view  of  the  number  built  in  each  state,.    213 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Trade  and  Commerce — western  cities — manufactures — tabular  state- 
ment of  the  imports  into  New  Orleans,  consisting  of  produce  de- 
scending the  Mississippi,  during  ten  years — tabular  statement  of 
the  exports  of  cotton  from  New  Orleans,  for  nine  years — exports 
of  tobacco — exports  of  sugar  and  molasses — other  tables, 264 


PREFACE. 


We  have  no  particular  partiality  for  the  task  of  writing  a  pre- 
face. It  is  a  ceremony  imposed  by  custom,  and  is  in  general  as 
irksome  to  the  writer,  :is  it  is  useless  to  the  reader  of  the  work,  to 
which  it  is  appended.  Publishers,  however,  have  their  own  no- 
tions of  what  is  proper,  and  in  their  apprehension  the  preface  is  a 
component  part  of  a  well  gotten  up  book,  and  may  not  be  dis- 
pensed with  without  a  departure  from  a  long  standing  and  inflexi- 
ble law  of  their  profession.  We  hold  a  different  faith,  and  are 
bold  enough  to  avow  our  belief,  that  if  there  be  an  abuse  in  litera- 
ture, demanding  above  all  others,  to  be  submitted  to  the  process 
of  immediate  abolition,  it  is  this  one  of  forcing  an  author  to  supply 
his  own  book  with  a  letter  of  introduction.  For  such,  in  practice, 
is  most  usually  the  substance  of  a  preface.  It  is  a  brief  history  of 
the  birth  and  parentage  0f  the  book,  wherein  it  is  expected  that 
the  author  shall  explain  why  it  was  written,  and  wherefore  it  has 
been  published,  with  various  other  matters  of  no  importance 
whatever  in  themselves,  and  of  no  interest  to  any  except  the  party 
thus  offending  against  good  manners  and  correct  taste. 

The  only  valuable  quality  that  we  have  ever  been  discerning 
enough  to  discover  in  a  preface,  is  the  opportunity  which  it  af- 
fords to  a  modest  author  to  herald  the  peculiar  reluctance  with 
which  he  does  an  act  that  is  entirely  voluntary  on  his  part,  and 
which  he  undertakes  with  the  greatest  apparent  self-complacency. 
In  these  brief  pages  we  read  volumes  of  evidence  in  favour  of  the 
patriotism  and  benevolence  of  authors;  and  we  cannot  but  honour 
a  race  so  prolific  in  good  offices,  performed  from  the  most  amia- 
ble motives,  yet  attended  with  embarrassing  circumstances  of 
bashfulness  and  self-abasement.  We  gather  from  these  candid 
fragments  of  literary  history,  that  books  are  usually  written  mere- 
ly to  fill  up  a  leisure  hour,  or  to  gratify  the  author's  propensity 
for  some  favourite  study,  without  the  most  distant  intention  of 
publication,  and  that  they  are  only  given  to  the  public  at  tho 
earnest  solicitation  of  partial  friends,  or  from  an  amiable  desire 
to  be  useful  to  a  world  which  is  seldom  grateful  for  the  liberal 
self-sacrifices  thus  made.  The  man  who  in  this  manner  gives  to 
a  thankless  public  the  treasured  gleanings  of  his  secret  hours  of 
joy — the  record  of  his  private  thoughts  and  studies — the  unpre- 
meditated out-pourings  of  his  mind,  or  the  choice  reflections  of 
his  wisest  and  saddest  moments — merely  to  gratify  his  friends, 
and  to  instruct  the  communitv,  must  be  verv  philanthropic  indeed. 

1* 


Via  PREFACE. 

Nor  is  this  all.  The  history  of  books,  as  developed  in  prefaces, 
discloses  further,  that  they  are,  for  the  most  part,  very  hastily 
written,  and  full  of  imperfections,  notwithstanding  which  the 
writers  generously  yield  them  up,  with  all  their  faults,  submitting 
meeklv  to  the  blame  of  these,  rather  than  withhold  that  which 
friends  applaud  and  the  public  is  eager  to  receive.  We  learn, 
too,  from  the  same  authentic  source,  that  it  is  not  vanity,  ambi- 
tion, nor  the  lust  of  gain,  that  induces  the  reluctant  author  to 
throw  his  bread  upon  the  waters  in  the  hope  of  finding  it  again 
after  many  days;  that  however  contemptuous  may  be  our  opinion 
of  a  volume,  none  think  so  badly  of  it  as  the  writer;  and  that  none 
are  so  indifferent  as  to  its  fate,  as  he  who  gave  it  existence. — 
Like  the  bird  of  the  desert,  who  buries  her  eggs  in  the  sand,  he 
abandons  his  precious  manuscript  to  its  fate,  to  be  hatched  by  the 
parental  care  of  the  bookseller,  and  nurtured  under  the  tender 
mercies  of  the  critic. 

But  although  prefaces,  serve  thus  a  valuable  purpose  in  afford- 
ing the  earliest  and  most  frank  intelligence  of  the  imperfections 
of  books,  and  the  disinterested  philanthropy  of  authors,  we  ad- 
here to  the  opinion  we  have  expressed  against  them,  because  we 
apprehend  that  however  acceptable  may  be  the  information  they 
convey,  it  is  such  as  would  most  usually  be  ascertained  without 
them.  The  public  might  be  safely  left  to  infer  the  unambitious 
character  of  the  author,  from  the  contents  of  his  work  ;  and  the 
partiality  of  friends,  from  the  extent  of  the  demand  which  may 
appear  to  have  been  made  upon  their  charity. 

There  is  one  case,  however,  in  which  we  consider  a  preface 
desirable  and  appropriate — a  rare  case,  we  admit,  but  one  that 
occurs,  whenever  an  author  has  any  thing  to  say  to  the  public 
about  his  book,  which  may  be  as  properly  said  by  himself  as  by 
another.  Such  is  the  predicament  in  which  we  are  placed  at  this 
moment ;  and  having  written  much  for  the  gratification  of  others, 
we  hope  to  be  excused  for  occupying  a  few  pages,  with  an  expla- 
nation for  our  own  particular  benefit. 

In  the  two  volumes  of  "  Sketches  of  History,  Life,  and  Man- 
ners, in  the  "West,"  recently  published,  the  author  attempted  to 
illustrate  the  spirit  and  character  of  the  history  of  this  interesting 
region,  by  throwing  together  in  a  popular  form,  such  materials 
relating  to  that  subject,  as  were  within  his  reach.  These  frag- 
ments, for  such  they  may  be  properly  called,  were  necessarily 
brief  and  unconnected,  for  some  of  the  topics  were  new,  and  with 
regard  to  most  of  them,  but  little  aid  could  be  derived  from 
books.  Much  of  the  work  consisted  of  the  traditions  which  the 
author  had  collected,  and  the  observations  he  had  made,  during 
a  residence  of  twenty  years  in  the  western  country,  during  the 
greater  part  of  which  he  has  been  engaged  in  pursuits  which 
obliged  him  to  travel  much,  and  to  associate  intimately  with  the 
people.     It  was  not  intended,  nor  was  it  practicable,  to  give  to 


PREFACE.  IX 

such  sketches  the  condensation  of  history,  or  the  form  of  a  con- 
tinuous narrative;  all  thai  whs  attempted  was  an  unconnected  se- 
ries of  pictun  s,  exi  mplifying  the  nature  of  the  wants  which  cha- 
racterized the  settlement  of  the  western  States,  and  the  peculiar 
character  of  the  adventures,  the  sufferings,  the  daring,  and  the 
intelligence  of  the  pioneers.     In  this  hasty  outline,  one  of  the 

objects  of  the  author  was,  to  place  in  bolder  relief  than  any  in 
which  they  had  heretofore  been  presented,  many  facts  which  are 
highly  honourable  to  the  character  of  the  western  people,  and  to 
disprov.  the  prejudiced  and  distorted  charges  of  ignorance,  bru- 
tality, and  heathenism,  which  have  been  alleged  against  them. — 
A  ample  denial  of  the  statements  was  not  sufficient  ;  it  was  neces- 
sar\  to  adduce  the  evidence  which  should  refute  them,  and 
accordingly  a  series  of  facts  were  presented,  which  show  conclu- 
sively to  any  candid  mind,  that  among  those  who  have  founded 
colonies  or  states  on  our  continent,  there  have  been  none  who 
have  excelled  the  western  pioneers  in  hardihood  or  generOUS 
courage,  none  have'  shown  more  forbearance  or  humanity,  nor 
have  any,  in  laying  the  foundations  of  civil  government,  observ- 
ed with  greater  strictness  the  maxims  of  justice,  morality,  ana 
order. 

These  facts  have  not  been  controverted,  but  the  inferences 
drawn  from  them  have  given  offence  to  some,  who  have  been 
pleased,  upon  the  authority  ol  inferior  evidence,  to  arrive  at  con- 
clusions more  in  accordance  with  their  preconceived  notions,  or 
local  prejudices. 

In  the  North  American  Review,  No.  XC1I.  the  editor  has  con- 
descended to  notice  the  existence  of  the  writer  of  these  volumes, 
as  we  believe  for  the  first  time — for  that  work  is  so  very  North 
American,  as  seldom  to  bring  within  the  scope  of  its  criticism  the 
literature  of  the  more  genial  latitudes  of  our  republic.  When  he 
deigns,  therefore,  to  extend  his  vision  beyond  the  charmed  circle, 
which  though  somewhat  small  is  supposed  to  comprise  the  con- 
centrated effulgence  of  American  genius,  and  favours  the  world 
with  his  notions  of  thing's  in  the  distant  and  dark  corners  of  the 
continent,  it  becomes  us  to  listen  with  reverence  to  his  opinions. 
In  the  West  especially,  buried  as  we  are,  in  those  clouds  of  igno- 
rance of  which  we  are  so  often  reminded,  we  should  not  only  be 
grateful  for  any  notice  bestowed  on  us  from  so  high  a  source,  but 
should  diligent!)  study,  and  respectfully  learn,  our  own  history 
anil  character,  from  such  undoubted  authority. 

When  we  learned  that  our  humble  volumes  had  been  noticed 
in  the  respectable  pages  of  the  North  American,  we  could  not  but 
feel  complimented,  and  it  was  with  do  small  degree  of  admiration 
and  awe  that  we  read  the  following-  strictur- 

*  Judge  Hall  is  not  an  accurate  writer.  In  the  work  before  us, 
(vol.  1,  p.  247,)  he  informs  us  that  sir  William  Johnson  purchased 
of  the  Six  Nations,  in  1768,  their  claim  to  the  lands  on  the  North- 


X  PREFACE. 

west  side  of  the  Ohio  to  the  Great  Miami.  This  does  not  appear 
on  ihe  treaty.  Page  251  represents  two  grants  from  the  Cherokees 
to  Henderson  and  his  company  ;  whereas  it  appears  there  was 
onlv  one,  the  other  being  a  grant  to  the  crown  in  1770.  On  page 
31,  (vol.  2,)  he  alters  the  date  of  the  purchase  of  Louisiana  from 
1803  to  1795,  probably  confounding  it  with  the  Spanish  treaty  of 
1795.  On  page  36,  he  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  there  was 
nothing  treasonable  in  the  Spanish  conspiracy,  on  a  dispassionate 
consideration  of  the  whole  matter.  But  in  this  dispassionate  con- 
sideration he  has  wholly  omitted  the  most  treasonable  features, 
saying  nothing-  of  the  proposal  made  through  Power  in  1797,  to 
withdraw  from  the  Federal  Union,  and  to  form  a  government 
«  wholly  unconnected  with  the  Atlantic  States ;'  nothing  of  the 
hundred  thousand  dollars  offered  as  a  bribe  to  bring  this  about; 
and  nothing  of  the  concealment  of  the  whole  matter  by  all  con- 
cerned. All  this  looks  a  little  treasonable.  On  page  119,  he 
calls  Kaskaskia  a  garrisoned  town,  when  the  fort  was  unoccupied, 
and  the  town  defended  onh  by  militia;  and  on  page  124,  he  tells 
us  that  the  capture  of  Vincennes  in  1779,  led  to  the  setdement  of 
Louisville  in  1778." 

We  copy  this  paragraph  entire,  as  a  remarkable  specimen  of 
the  great  amount  of  accurate  historical  knowledge,  and  critical 
acumen,  which  may  be  crowded  into  a  small  paragraph  by  the 
editor  of  the  North  American.  Unfortunately,  however,  the 
paragraph  is  not  original — as  every  allegation  contained  in  it,  is 
extracted  from  an  article  published  in  May  last,  in  an  obscure 
periodical  called  the  Western  Messenger,  and  signed  by  Mann 
Butler.  Indeed  the  coincidence  between  these  two  articles  in 
many  respects  is  such,  that  it  would  not  be  difficult  to  prove  from 
them  a  common  origin,  as  conclusively  as  a  New  York  writer 
proved  Captain  Basil  Hall  to  be  Mrs.  Trollope.  This  coincidence 
is  the  more  remarkable,  as  the  editor  of  the  North  American,  in 
the  article  in  question,  institutes  a  parallel  between  us  and  Mr. 
Butler,  giving-  the  preference  to  the  latter,  who,  in  his  opinion, 
excels  in  "fairness,  earnestness,  and  fidelity;"  while  Mr.  Butler 
seems  to  entertain  the  same  opinion  of  himself,  and  in  his  endea- 
vours to  convict  us  of  error,. complacently  quotes  his  own  book  as 
authority.  As  they  both  therefore  agree  that  Mr.  Butler  is  an 
accurate  historian,  we  ask  the  favour  of  them  to  read  the  follow- 
ing sentences: 

The  first  is  from  the  North  American: 

"Judge  Hall  is  not  an  accurate  writer.  In  the  work  before  us  he 
informs  us  that  Sir  William  Johnson  purchased  of  the  Six  Na- 
tions in  1768,  their  claim  to  the  lands  on  the  Northwest  side  of 
the  Ohio  to  the  Great  Miami.  This  does  not  appear  on  the 
treaty." 

The  next  is  from  Mann  Butler's  Review: 

"  Mr.  Hall  not  only  withholds  all  credit  from  others  for  reviving- 


PREFACE.  \1 

this  ancient  and  important  document  of  western  history  ;  but  with 
the  treaty  under  his  eyes,  mistakes  its  purport  so  much,  as  to  re- 
present it  as  ceding  the  country  northwest  of  the  Ohio,  while  not 
an  acre  northwest  of  that  river  was  ceded  by  the  Indians  till  the 
treaty  of  Tort  Mcintosh  in  1785." 

The  third  extract  is  from  the  "  History"  of  the  same  Mann 
Butler,  and  is  as  follows: 

"In  1781,  Colonel  Croghan  who,  for  thirty  years  had  been  de- 
puty superintendent  among* the  si\  Nations  deposed,  'that  these 
Indiana  claimed  by  right  of  conquest,  all  the  lands  on  the  southeast 
side  of  the  Ohio,  to  the  Cherokee  river,  and  on  the  west  tide, 
down  to  the  Jiin;  Miami,  otherwise  called  Stony  River.'  This 
titl>,  at  has  been  maintained,  was  alienated  to  the  British  crown  in 
the  treat 1/  to  which  reference  has  just  been  had."  Historv  of  Ken- 
tucky, p.  5  St  6. 

The  treaty  here  alluded  to,  is  the  treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix,  and 
in  reference  to  the  point  at  issue,  we  have  on  one  side  the  asser- 
tions of  the  Editor  of  the  North  American,  and  Mr.  Butler  in 
his  character  of  reviewer,  and  on  the  other  myself,  and  the  same 
Mr.  Butler  in  his  character  of  historian.  There  being  therefore 
an  equal  weight  of  testimony  on  each  side,  our  inaccuracy  is  not 
established;  and  we  recommend  that  the  editor  of  the  North 
American  cross  examine  his  witnesses,  or,  what  would  be  better  , 
read  the  treaty. 

The  next  charge  in  the  North  American,  is  as  follows:  "  Page 
251  represents  two  grants  from  the  Cherokees  to  Henderson  and 
his  company  ;  whereas  it  appears  that  there  was  only  one,  the 
other  being-  a  grant  to  the  crown  in  1770."  Mr.  Butler  makes 
the  same  charge  more  at  length.  Had  either  of  these  gentlemen 
read  the  book  carefully,  which  they  undertake  to  condemn,  they 
would  have  seen  that  we  state  (vol.  1,  p.  246)  that  our  account 
of  these  transactions  was  compiled  "  from  the  original  papers  of 
the  gentlemen  concerned" — they  would  have  seen  that  the  boun- 
daries described  in  the  two  deeds,  are  distinctly  and  separately 
set  forth — they  would  have  seen  further,  (vol.  2,  p.  272,)  that  in 
a  memorial  of  Henderson  and  company  to  Congress  they  ex- 
pressly state  that  "they  the  said  company  obtained  from  the  said 
Indians  two  several  deeds" — and  if  these  asserters  of  our  inaccu- 
racy are  still  incredulous  we  will  at  any  time  they  will  call  upon 
us,  take  great  pleasure  in  showing  them  the  original  deeds,  which 
are  in  our  possession. 

The  next  count  in  the  indictment  is  this: 

"On  page  31,  (vol.  2.)  he  alters  the  date  of  the  purchase  of 
Louisiana,  from  1803  to  1795,  probably  confounding  it  with  the 
Spanish  treaty  of  1795." 

This  charge  is  simply  untrue.  There  is  not  a  single  date  of 
any  description  on  page  31,  vol.  2,  nor  is  the  purchase  of  Louis- 
iana stated,  on  that  or  any  other  page  of  the  work,  to  have  oc- 


Xll  PREFACE. 

curred  in  1795.  Had  the  editor  of  the  North  American  written 
with  the  "  sketches"  before  him,  he  would  not  hare  fallen  into 
this  mistake,  but  having-  incautiously  copied  the  same  blundering 
original  before  alluded  to,  he  has  adopted  the  calumnies  of  ano- 
ther man,  and  made  them  his  own  bv  the  reiteration. 

The  next  charge  is  made  more  at  length,  and  consists  of  seve- 
ral distinct  misapprehensions  and  misstatements,  so  grossly  inac- 
curate that  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  any  gentleman  profess- 
ing to  be  a  critic  could  have  ventured  to  place  them  upon  paper. 

"  On  page  36  he  comes  to  the  conclusion,  that  there  was  no- 
thing treasonable  in  the  Spanish  conspiracy  on  a  dispassionate 
consideration  of  '  the  whole  matter.'  But  in  this  dispassionate 
consideration  he  has  wholly  omitted  the  most  treasonable  fea- 
tures, saying  nothing  of  the  proposal  made  through  Power  in 
1797,  to  withdraw  from  the  Federal  Union,  and  to  form  a  govern- 
ment '  wholly  unconnected  with  that  of  the  Atlantic  States;'  no- 
thing of  the  hundred  thousand  dollars  offered  to  Sebastian  as  a 
bribe  to  bring  about  this;  nothing  of  the  concealment  of  the 
whole  matter  by  all  concerned.  All  this  looks  a  little  treason- 
able." 

The  above  paragraph  is  a  condensed  paraphrase  of  more  than 
a  page  of  incomprehensible  matter  in  Mr.  Butler's  review,  and 
may  be  readily  answered.  We  denied  in  substance  that,  rela- 
tive to  the  matter  alluded  to,  there  was  any  treasonable  conduct 
or  intention,  on  the  part  of  the  people  of  Kentucky,  or  their 
leading  men;  while  Mr.  Butler,  for  the  purpose  of  fixing  the 
stain  of  treason  upon  some  of  the  most  conspicuous  men  of  that 
State,  enters  into  a  long  detail  of  offers  that  were  made  them  by 
the  Spanish  Governor  of  Louisiana.  He  seems  not  to  compre- 
hend that  his  entire  argument  is  a  non  sequitur,  nor  does  the  edi- 
tor of  the  North  American  hesitate  to  adopt  his  sophisms.  The 
proof  that  treasonable  offers  were  made  by  one  party,  does  not 
prove  that  another  party,  to  whom  they  were  made,  were  traitors. 
On  the  contrary,  if  the  offer  was  not  accepted,  the  inference  is 
in  favour  of  the  innocence  of  the  party  declining  them  ;  and  in 
this  very  case,  after  pertinaciously  insisting  that  the  Kentuckians 
were  traitors,  because  the  Spanish  crown  endeavoured  to  cor- 
rupt them,  Mr.  Butler  clumsily  defeats  his  own  argument,  by  ad- 
mitting that  the  offers  of  the  Spanish,  were  "indignantly  reject- 
ed" by  some  of  the  persons,  while  he  does  not  show  that  they 
were  accepted  by  any.  But  the  strangest  assertion  is  made  by  the 
North  American,  when  he  accuses  us  of  saying  "nothing  of  the 
concealment  of  the  whole  matter  by  all  concerned."  So  far  from 
there  having  been  any  concealment,  all  the  circumstances  attend- 
ing these  transactions  were  public,  and  the  most  of  them  were 
communicated  by  the  persons  attempted  to  be  implicated,  to  the 
Legislature  of  Kentucky,  and  the  President  of  the  United  States. 
In  reference  to  the  frankness  with  which  these  disclosures  were 


PREFACE.  xiii 

made  we  remarked,  at  page  35,  vol.  2,  of  the  Sketches — "  If  these 
men  were  conspirators,  they  were  the  most  frank,  communica- 
tive, and  honest  men,  that  ever  deserved  that  appellation;  if  they 
enteitained  designs  hostile  to  the  honour  or  the  interests  of  their 
country,  they  certainly  were  singular  in  their  choice  of  their  con- 
fidants— members  of  Congress,  and  officers  of  the  law  them- 
selves, their  communications  are  addressed  to  the  President,  to 
a  judge,  and  to  the  people!"  Such  is  the  evidence  upon  which 
the  North  American  charges  us  with  inaccuracy,  and  revives 
an  obsolete  calumny  upon  some  ©f  the  -purest  patriots  of  our 
country. 

There  is  one  notion  in  the  Review  of  the  North  American  for 
which  the  writer  of  that  article  is  entitled  to  full  credit, as  it  is 
one  of  the  very  few  remarks  which  he  has  ventured  to  make, 
without  the  authority  of  his  confederate,  the  historian  of  Ken- 
tucky.    We  quote  it  at  length: 

"Judg-e  Hall,  in  attempting-  to  make  out  a  theory  which  cha- 
racterizes the  intercourse  of  the  Americans  with  the  indians  as 
habitually  cruel  and  unfaithful,  has  brought  an  accusation  ag-ainst 
the  Pilgrims  of  New  England,  so  grossly  inaccurate  that  we  can- 
not let  it  pass  unnoticed.  After  praising  them  for  various  quali- 
ties, he  goes  on  to  say,  that,  "the  perversion  of  public  opinion 
which  could  lead  such  men,  themselves  the  victims  of  oppres- 
sion, and  the  asserters  of  liberal  principles,  to  treat  the  savages  as 
brutes,  must  have  been  wide  spread  and  deeply  seated ;  yet  such, 
was  certainly  their  conduct."  The  reviewer  continues,  "this 
charge  filled  us  with  surprise.  We  tried  to  recall  the  events  in 
New  England  annals,  which  might  justify  such  a  sweeping  asser- 
tion." We  have  no  doubt  that  the  surprise  expressed  is  quite 
sincere,  as  we  have  had  evidence  enough  that  the  reviewer's  his- 
torical reading  has  not  been  very  extensive;  the  difficulty  there- 
fore which  he  experienced  in  recalling  the  events  to  which  we 
alluded  is  quite  natural.  He  need  not,  however,  have  called  spi- 
rits from  the  vasty  deep,  which  would  not  come,  by  taxing 
his  recollection — for  had  he  turned  to  page  60,  vol.  1,  of  the 
**  Sketches,"  he  would  have  found  the  instances  quoted  in  which 
the  founders  of  New  England  treated  the  savages  as  brutes.  He 
would  there  have  found  extracts  from  the  history  of  Connecticut 
by  Trumbull,  in  which  we  are  told  of  an  instance  in  which  thirty 
Indians,  who  were  prisoners  taken  in  battle,  were  put  to  death, 
while  "  the  Pequot  women  and  children  who  had  been  captivat- 
ed, were  divided  among  the  troops.  Some  were  carried  to  Con- 
necticut, others  to  Massachusetts.  The  people  of  Massachu- 
setts sent  a  number  of  the  women  and  boys  to  the  West  Indies, 
and  sold  them  as  slaves.'"  Many  more  such  instances  could  be 
quoted,  but  we  have  sufficiently  shown,  that  we  stated  only  the 
truth — for  if  the  massacre  of  prisoners  in  cold  blood,  and  the  sale 


\iv  PREFACE. 

of  women  and  children  into  slavery  be  not  considered  treating" 
them  as  brutes,  we  need  offer  no  other  evidence. 

But  the  whole  of  the  last  paragraph  which  we  have  quoted 
from  the  North  American,  is  a  disingenuous  endeavour  to  de- 
ceive. We  did  not  attempt  "  to  make  out  a  theory  which  cha- 
racterizes the  intercourse  of  the  Americans  with  the  Indians  as 
habitually  cruel  and  unfaithful" — on  the  contrary  we  showed 
conclusively  that  the  Americans  had  been  more  just  in  their  in- 
tercourse with  the  savages,  than  any  other  civilized  nation,  ex- 
cept the  French,  and  the  writer  of  that  article  has  entirely  mis- 
conceived our  object,  or  deliberately  misrepresented  it.  His 
confederate  Mr.  Butler  objects  to  the  same  part  of  our  book  for 
another  reason.  In  illustrating-  our  subject  we  introduced  some 
well  known  facts  in  history,  relative  to  the  dealing's  of  the  Spa- 
nish and  Portuguese  discoveries,  with  the  American  Indians  and 
Africans  ;  and  Mr.  Butler's  comment  is  as  follows:  "  The  views 
of  Mr.  Hall  on  this  part  of  his  subject  are  not  sufficiently  enlight- 
ened by  original  and  native  authorities,  and  too  full  of  political 
speculation  \o  maintain  any  critical  details."  The  objection  in 
the  first  member  of  this  sentence,  when  translated  out  of  the  wri- 
ter's vernacular,  which  even  his  Boston  ally  admits  to  be  rather 
homely,  seems  to  be,  that  we  should  have  ventured  to  state  that 
Columbus  discovered  America,  and  that  the  Portuguese  doubled 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  without  giving  original  and  native 
authorities,  in  the  Spanish,  Portuguese,  Hottentot,  and  Indian 
tongues,  to  prove  these  very  novel  and  hazardous  propositions. 
We  thought  it  sufficient  to  make  some  general  reflections,  in 
plain  English,  and  to  rely  on  the  intelligence  of  our  readers  for 
all  the  corroboration  the  case  required,  and  we  certainly  did  not 
expect  to  be  called  upon  to  produce  documents  in  four  or  five 
languages,  to  prove  that  the  Indians  and  Africans  suffered  much 
unprovoked  wrong.  Mr.  Butler  however,  with  a  more  scholas- 
tic taste,  and  a  devotion  to  philology  resulting  either  from  pro- 
fessional habits,  or  from  his  recent  association  with  the  North 
American  critic,  thinks  our  text  would  be  vastly  improved  by  a 
dash  of  the  Mexican,  Castilian,  Malay,  or  perhaps  a  copious  in- 
terlarding of  any  outlandish  dialect  which  might  be  original  and 
native.  What  he  means  by  saying  that  the  "Sketches"  are  "too 
full  of  political  speculation  to  maintain  any  critical  details,"  may 
perhaps  be  guessed  at  by  his  northern  friends,  but  certainly  is  not 
verv  obvious.  It  would  seem,  that  political  speculation  might  as 
well  be  made  the  subject  of  criticism  as  anv  other:  and  it  is  a 
rather  singular  reason  for  an  historian  to  give  for  avoiding  a  sub- 
ject, that  it  is  political.  The  political  speculations  of  bis  own 
book  may  possibly  set  criticism  at  defiance  ;  but  this  is  no  crite- 
rion by  which  to  judge  others. 

The  most  amusing  part  of  the  criticism  of  Mr.  Butler,  we  shall 


TREFACE.  XV 

•tow  place  before  our  readers,  as  a  curious  specimen  of  the  "fair- 
ness and  fidelity''  for  which  he  is  so  much  extolled  by  his  Boston 
friend,  lie  Bays,  "  Mr.  Hall  lias  availed  himself  of  other  men's 
labours,  without  any  acknowledgment,  in  a  manner  which  we  can 
neither  reconcile  with  justice  nor  generosity.  Now  it  strikes  us 
that  when  a  man  lias  brought  to  light  new  sources  of  information, 
either  bv  the  revival  of  forgotten  documents,  or  by  obtaining 
new  facts ;  he  should  enjoy  the  credit  due  to  labours  for  the  pub- 
lic gratification  with  writers  who  have  gathered  the  fruit  of  these 
labours.  Such  we  C  insider  the  case  with  the  descent  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi by  the  Taylors,  1769;  the  expedition  of  Capt.  Thomas 
Bullit  with  the  McAfees  in  177S\  the  treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix  in 
1768,  and  the  establishment  of  a  proprietary  government  in  Ken- 
tucky in  1775.  These  facts  are  all  used  without  any  mention 
that  "they  were  not  the  result  of  the  author's  own  inquiries." 

■We  doubt  very  much  whether  many  of  our  readers  will  sym- 
pathise with  this  complaint — for  it  will  very  generally  be  conced- 
ed that  it  was  quite  unnecessary  for  us  to  tell  the  public  that 
"these  fads"  were  not  the  result  of  our  inquiries,  for  as  these 
fact*  occurred  before  we  were  born,  they  could  not  have  resulted 
from  any  of  our  doings. 

The  charge  of  our  using-  Mr.  Sutler's  labours,  is  too  childish 
to  require  a  reply,  and  we  only  notice  it  with  other  thing's,  to 
show  up  in  his  proper  colours  the  writer  who  is  extolled  by  the 
North  American  as  being  "  in  the  higher  qualities  of  an  histo- 
rian" u  above  all  praise."  We  have  no  doubt  that  Mr.  Butler,  in 
the  simplicitv  of  his  heart,  verily  believes  that  he  discovered  the 
treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix,  and  that  it  is  very  wrong-  ill  us  to  allude 
to  it,"  without  citing-  him  as  authority.  How  all  knowledge  of  that 
memorable  event  came  to  be  obliterated,  we  are  not  told,  but  we 
are  informed  how  the  historian  of  Kentucky  made  the  marvel- 
lous discovery  which  has  induced  him  to  appropriate  that  event 
to  himself,  and  the  reader  will  read  with  admiration,  that  Mr. 
Butler  "with  great  trouble  and  disappointment,  traced  this  treaty 
from  Dr.  Franklin's  memorial  in  his  works!"  and  brought  it  to 
light,— yea,  brought  it  out  of  the  darkness  of  Dr.  Franklin's  ob- 
scure, into  the  marvellous  light  of  the  history  of  Kentucky!  "We 
are  onlv  surprised  that  he  did  not  publish  the  whole  of  Dr.  Frank- 
lin's works  m  his  appendix,  and  thereby  not  only  rescue  them 
from  the  neglect  into  which  he  seems  to  think  they  have  fallen, 
but  become  himself  the  happy  proprietor  of  all  that  was  written 
by  that  great  philosopher.  But  much  as  we  sympathise  in  the 
trouhk  which  he  was  put  to  seeking",  and  the  disappointment  he 
met  with  in  finding-  it,  we  hope  we  shall  stand  excused  for  having1 
gathered  what  little  we  said  about  it  from  Marshall,  Franklin,  or 
some  other  of  the  numerous  writers  who  had  spoken  of  it,  and 
for  having-  forgotten  to  record  that  it  was  the  same  treaty  that  Mr. 


XVI  PREFACE. 

Butler  read  about  in  Dr.  Franklin's  works  and  wrote  about  in  the 
history  of  Kentucky. 

As  for  the  plagiarism  complained  of  in  reference  to  Bullit, 
Taylor,  and  the  McAfees,  my  offence  is  comprised  in  four  lines: 
"In  the  year  1773,  Thomas  Bullit,  Hancock  Taylor,  and  the 
McAfees  engaged  with  ardour  and  success  in  the  business  of  ex- 
ploring and  settling  Kentucky,  and  became  conspicuous  indivi- 
duals in  the  new  community."  This  statement  is  not  controvert- 
ed, and  if  it  be  true  that  the  gentlemen  named  were  conspicuous 
men,  we  are  not  aware  of  any  patent  right  which  the  historian  of 
Kentucky  could  have  for  manufacturing  their  adventures  into  a 
book.  All  that  we  have  said  of  them  was  printed  by  others,  long 
before  Mr.  Butler  became  an  author,  and  probably  still  longer 
before  the  editor  of  the  North  American  commenced  the  study 
of  western  history. 

The  most  singular  claim  of  Mr.  Butler,  is  that  in  regard  to  the 
proprietary  government  of  Henderson  and  company.  We  ex- 
pressly stated,  at  page  246,  vol.  2.  of  the  Sketches,  that  these 
facts  were  compiled  "from  the  original  papers  of  the  gentleman 
concerned."  Several  of  these  papers  are  published  entire  in  our 
appendix,  and  all  of  them  remain  in  our  possession.  They  furn- 
ish the  only  accurate  account  of  the  events  alluded  to,  which  had 
been  published,  and  bear  little  resemblance  to  the  statement  of 
the  same  events  given  by  Mr.  Butler,  who  never  saw  the  original 
papers,  and  had  no  knowledge  of  them  except  from  our  publi- 
cation. 

The  queer  notion  of  Mr.  Butler,  that  all  the  facts  which  he  is 
pleased  to  compile  into  his  book,  became  thereby  his  individual 
property,  even  when  they  are  confessedly  taken  by  him  from 
other  writers,  has  a  touch  of  oddity  about  it  which  does  him  cre- 
dit, as  it  is  certainly  one  of  the  very  few  original  ideas  that  have 
dropt  from  his  pen.  Through  his  whole  article  he  complains  of 
the  injustice  we  have  done  him,  in  writing  on  the  same  subjects 
upon  which  he  has  written — for  that  we  ever  copied  any  thing 
from  him  he  does  not  pretend — and  if  ive  had  taken  the  trouble 
of  translating  some  of  his  crudities  into  the  English  language, 
we  should  be  glad  to  know  why  we  might  not  claim  the  credit  of 
brhiging  them  to  tight*  vipon  the  same  principle  that  Mr.  Butler 
claims  the  fragments  which  he  has  brought  to  light  from  the  pub- 
lished writings  of  Franklin.  It  is  singularly  unfortunate  how- 
ever, for  this  charge  of  plagiarism,  that  the  public  are  generally 
aware,  that  we  were  engaged  in  writing  and  publishing,  on  west- 
ern subjects,  about  ten  years  before  the  History  of  Kentucky 
made  its  appearance,  and  the  work  entitled  Sketches  is  made  up 
of  articles  which  had  been  separately  published  in  periodicals, 
and  which  the  author  collected  into  the  two  volumes  in  question. 
The  eastern  critic  might  not  have  been  aware  of  this  fact — for 


PREFACE.  XVU 

we  will  do  him  the  justice  to  admit,  that  he  has  given  ample  evi- 
dence of  his  innocence  of  any  personal  knowledge  on  the  sub- 
ject; hut  he  has,  in  giving-  currency  to  the  calumnies  of  Mr.  But- 
ler, done  injustice  to  us,  and  practised  a  fraud  upon  the  public. 

We  shall  quote  one  more  instance  of  the  critical  tact  of  our 
joint  opponents,  in  which  it  will  be  seen,  not  only  how  keen  they 
mutually  are,  upon  the  scent  of  an  inaccurate  statement,  but  how 
remarkably  they  coincide  in  sentiment.  Had  the  same  mind,  or 
same  want  of  mind  dictated  both  articles,  they  could  not  be  more 
identical  in  spirit. 

III*.  Butler  savs,  we  "represent  Kaskaskia  as  a  garrisoned 
town,"  and  as  "fortified,"  vol.  2,  page  119,  and  adds,  "It  is  true 
there  was  a  fort;  but  the  only  garrison  that  could  be  obtained  for 
it  was  the  militia  of  the  village,  who,  at  the  attack  by  Col.  Clarke, 
were  snuglv  at  their  houses;  and  their  governor,  Mr.  Uocheblave 
was  in  bed."  The  North  American  echoes  "  he  calls  Kaskaskia 
a  garrisoned  town,  when  the  fort  was  unoccupied  and  the  town 
defended  only  by  militia."  The  facts  here  enumerated  must  cer- 
tainly have  been  brought  to  light  by  the  historian  of  Kentucky, 
and  as  he  is  a  gnat  stickler  for  the  inviolability  of  his  literary- 
property,  future  writers  should  be  careful  how  they  infringe  it. 
We  are  sure  that  no  other  historian  ever  found  out,  that  a  town 
at  which  "it  is  true  there  was  a  fort,"  was  not  fortijiid,  or  that  a 
place  was  not  garrisoned,  because  the  "only  garrison"  was  mili- 
tia. The  striking  fact  that  the  governor  "was  in  bed,"  is  en- 
titled to  great  weight,  yet  we  confess  we  have  our  doubts,  whe- 
ther in  strictness,  the"  individuals  composing  a  military  bodv, 
cease  to  be  soldiers,  whenever  their  commander  puts  on  his 
night-cap,  and  whether  the  garrison,  which  was  a  garrison  when 
Mr.  Uocheblave  was  wide  awake,  became  a  garrison  no  longer, 
when  that  important  personage  sought  the  repose  of  the  pillow. 
Butler  in  lis  history,  at  page  53,  relates,  that  "  the  fort  was 
taken  ;  Clarke  entered  it  by  a  postern  gate  left  open  on  the  river 
side,  of  the  fortification"— bvit  the  same  Mr.  Butler  turned  critic, 
and  commenting  on  our  account  of  the  same  event,  denies  that 
place  to  be  fortified,  which  he  had  himself  admitted  to  have  a 
fort  and  a  fort ijicat ion,-  and  he  speaks  of  Clark  as  entering  the 
fort  by  a  gate  which  was  left  open,  and  taking  it,  which  was  no 
very  great  exploit,  if  the  fort  was  not  fortified,  and  had  no  gar- 
rison.  If  there  was  neither  armament,  nor  men,  in  the  fort,  we 
cannot  conceive  why  Clark  should  assail  it,  or  the  accurate  Mr. 
Butler  describe  the" capture;  and  Oil  the  whole  we  adhere  to  our 
opinion,  that  a  place  winch  has  a  fort  is  fortified,  and  that  a  town 
protected  by  soldiers,  even  though  they  be  militia,  does  not  cease 
to  be  garrisoned  when  the  governor  goes  to  sleep.  The  truth  is, 
the  governor  spoken  of,  was  a  military  officer,  and  his  authority, 
whether  he  watched  Or  reposed,  was  strictly  martial.  In  the 
French  records  preserved  at  Kaskaskia,  he   is   styled  command- 


XV111  PREFACE. 

ant;  the  English  apply  the  title  governor  to  the  commanding  offi- 
cer of  a  garrisoned  town,  and  it  was  through  an  English  transla- 
tion that  Mr.  Butler  possessed  himself  of  the  word  as  applied 
to  M.  Rocheblave^thottgh  he  has  not  been  careful  to  give  us  the 
original  and  native  authorities. 

We  have  deemed  it  a  matter  of  proper  self-defence,  to  expose 
the  frivolity  of  the  criticisms  by  wluch  it  has  been   attempted  to 
destroy  the  reputation  of  the  Sketches  of  the  West;  and  to  exhi- 
bit the  singular  collusion  between  our  two  assailants,  who  have 
each  asserted  the  same  charges,  and  with  a  remarkable  fatality, 
have  in  every  instance  based  their  accusations  upon  misappre- 
hension.    Having  thus  refuted  each  of  the  several  charges  of  in- 
accuracy brought  against    us  by  the  North   American,,  we  have 
discharged  a  duty  to  ourselves,  and  to  the  subject ;  and  we  leave 
it  to  others  to  decide  upon  the  correctness  of  the  sweeping  de- 
nunciation,  pronounced  by  the  Boston  critic.     Disguising  his 
spleen  under  a  Jesuitical  air   of  frankness,  he   remarks,  "  The 
work  of  Judge   Hall  is  written  in  his  usual  easy  and  graceful 
style;  it  is  calculated,  to  interest  readers  who  would  not  venture 
upon  a  regular  history ;  without  being  very  profound,  it  has  an 
air  of  philosophy*  well  adapted  to  the  parlour  fireside;  without 
much  accuracy,  it  rambles  over  the  whole  ground,  so  as  to  satisfy 
an  easy  curiosity."     Again,  he  says  of  us,  "  He  professes  to  be  a 
western  man  ;  the  scene  of  his  stories  is  generally  in  the  west;  his 
incidents  are  taken  from  western  life;  but  of  western  character  he 
knows  little,  and  of  ivestern  spirit  he  possesses  nothing."     We  have 
of  course  no  reply  to  make  to  these  assertions;  they  are  the  opin- 
ions of  the  critic,  who  has  an  undoubted  right  to  think  as  he 
pleases,  and  to  say  what  he  thinks.     Whether  he  is  qualified  to 
judge  of  western  character  and  spirit  is  another  question ;  we 
think  we  have  already  shown  that  he  is  grossly  ignorant  of  the 
whole   subject.     The  intelligent  reader  will  however  be  not  a 
little  amused  vyhen  we  inform  him,  that  after  the  critic  had  run 
through  the  catalogue  of  offences  which  we  have  quoted,  he  adds 
"these  are  small  matters,"  and  again  "with  these  qualifying  re- 
marks we  recommend  the  *  Sketches'  to  our  readers  as  a  work 
full  of  entertaining  anecdote  and  description."     What  a  clever 
critic!    How  much  his  readers  must  be  obliged  to  him  for  recom- 
mending to  them  a  work  written  without  much  accuracy,  by  one 
who  knows  Utile  of  his  subject,  and  possesses  nothing  of  its  spirit. 
These  however  are,  in  his  judgment,  "small  matters,"  and  we 
have  no  doubt  that  he  is  sincere  in  the  belief  that  to  write  well  on 
a  subject  it  is  not  necessary  to  understand  it,  or  to  treat  it  with 
accuracy,  and  that  he  has  acted  upon  these  principles  in  his  own 
very  recondite  essay  upon  western  history.  "Judge  Hall's  book," 
says  this  remarkably  acute  critic,  "  might  all  have  been  compos, 
ed  by  one  who  had  never  been  beyond  the  atmosphere  of  Lon- 
don, but  who  had  heard  a  few  anecdotes,  and  read  a  few,  works 


PREFACE.  XIX 

about  the  western  world."  In  the  next  sentence  but  one  he 
speaks  of  Judge  Hall's  "  well-earned  fame  ;"  and  we  are  left  at 
a  loss  to  imagine  how  a  ivell-ear/tn/  fumt,  or  any  fame  at  all,  could 
be  acquired  by  one  without  knowledge,  or  accuracy,  whose  inci- 
dents are  taken  from  western  life,  which  he  knows  nothing  about, 
and  of  which  he  could  have  written  as  well,  had  he  "never  been 
beyond  the  atmosphere  of  London" — unless  we  again  resort  to 
the  conclusion  that  our  critic  fancies  that  "  a  well-earned  fame" 
may  be  the  offspring'  of  ignorance  and  self  conceit,  and  proposes 
to  furnish  in  his  own  production  a  splendid  instance  of  this  spe- 
cies of  illegitimate  success. 

To  enable  our  western  readers  to  judge  of  the  degree  of  know- 
ledge, as  well  as  of  candour*  with  which  the  North  American  has 
examined  this  subject,  we  shall  make  some  further  quotations, 
from  which  it  will  appear  that  we  are  not  the  only  mark  at  which 
the  reviewer  discharges  his  envenomed  shafts.  In  allusion  to  the 
Spanish  conspiracy,  he  says:  '^From  these  facts,  taken  wholly 
from  Mr.  Butler,  who  is  evidently  disposed  to  shield  the  actors  in 
them  as  far  as  possible  from  censure,  it  appears  evident,  that  most 
of  the  leading  men  in  Kentucky,  through  a  long  course  of  years, 
were  in  favour  of  separating  from  the  union,  and  establishing  an 
independent  government,  and  took  every  measure  in  their  power 
to  bring  this  about." 

So  far  from  there  being  a  word  of  truth  in  this  statement,  Mr. 
Butler's  book  affords  no  evidence  "that  most  of  the  leading-  men 
in  Kentucky"  favoured  the  proposition  alluded  to.  Even  the 
bitter  newspaper  denunciations  of  the  day,  published  in  the  heat 
of  party  warfare,  and  which  have  biased  the  decision  of  Mr. 
Butler,  do  not  accuse  but  a  few  individuals* and  so  far  from  using- 
"every  measure  in  their  power  to  bring  this  about,"  not  a  single 
measure  of  the  kind  was  adopted.  The  question  in  relation  to 
the  right  of  the  American  people  to  navigate  the  Mississippi,  was 
zealously  arg-ued  in  the  newspapers,  and  at  the  conventions,  and 
other  public  meetings  of  the  Kentuckians,  and  the  opinion  was 
openly  expressed,  that  if  our  government  should  not  secure  to 
the  western  citizens,  a  right  so  vitally  necessary,  they  would  be 
compelled,  in  self-defence,  to  erect  a  separate  government.  From 
such  expressions — used  in  the  heat  of  an  animated  discussion, 
the  reviewer  infers  that  measures  were  taken  to  bring  a  separation. 
In  speaking-  of  the  French  intrigue,  he  remarks  "Here  again  we 
see  distinguished  citizens  of  Kentucky,  such  men  as  Shelby  and 
Clark,  underrating  or  overlooking  the  duties  which  they  owed  the 
Federal  government,  in  a  mad  sympathy  with  French  republican- 
ism. Mr.  Butler  attempts  to  defend  g-overnor  Shelby  for  the 
course  taken  by  him  in,  this  matter,  and  Judge  Hall  passes  it  over 
wiih  his  usual  easy  negligence."  This  paragraph  is  just  as  "  in- 
accurate," as  all  others  we  have  quoted,  and  shows  with  how  lit- 
tle care  the  reviewer  had  read  the  history  of  a  people  whose  lead- 


XX  PREFACE. 

ing  men  he  calumniates.  General  Clark  proposed  to  do,  pre- 
cisely what  General  Houston,  Mr.  Burnet,  and  other  Americans 
are  now  doing-,  with  the  approbation  of  a  large  portion  of  the 
American  people.  He  proposed  to  wrest  from  the  Spaniards,  a 
portion  of  their  North  American  possessions,  by  means  of  an  army 
to  be  raised  in  the  western  states.  Governor  Shelby  was  called 
upon  to  arrest  the  expedition,  and  hesitated  because  he  was 
doubtful  whether  he  had  any  power  under  the  constitution  of 
Kentucky,  to  prevent  the  citizens  of  that  state  from  emigrating" 
with  arms  in  their  hands.  A  similar  case  has  occurred  in  our 
times,  and  we  ask,  what  governor  has  arrested  the  volunteers 
who  have  passed  through  our  country  on  their  way  to  Texas  ? — 
Troops  have  been  publicly  enlisted,  public  meetings  have  been 
held,  banners  have  been  presented;  while  almost  simultaneously 
the  Texan  revolt  has  been  spoken  of  with  approbation  on  the 
fioor  of  Congress.  If  no  duty  to  the  Federal  Government  has 
been  violated  in  this  case,  none  was  violated  by  General  Clark; 
the  scruple  of  Shelby  was  justifiable,  and  the  eminent  services  of 
these  revolutionary  heroes  might  have  protected  their  memories 
from  the  supercilious  sneer  of  the  reviewer,  as  well  as  from  the 
Jesuitical  defence  of  the  historian  of  Kentucky,  who  has  the  sin- 
gular art  of  calumniating  those  whom  he  affects  to  applaud. 

It  is  however  not  surprising  that  the  reviewer  who  could  ven- 
ture an  excuse  for  Hull,  who  had  surrendered  a  gallant  army, 
without  striking  a  blow,  to  an  inferior  force,  under  circumstances 
which  conclusively  show  that  either  treason  or  the  most  abject 
cowardice  was  the  impelling-  motive  of  the  disgraceful  act — 
should  feel  but  little  sympathy  for  the  reputation  of  such  men  as 
Clark  and  Shelby.  Where  he  learned  that  the  defence  published 
by  Hull  "caused  a  decided  change  of  opinion  through  a  great 
part  of  the  union,"  we  are  unable  to  decide,  unless  it  was  in 
some  such  work  as  the  admirable  History  of  Kentucky,  wherein 
he  read  of  the  "syren  song  of  peace  and  farming,"  which  was  so 
artfully  sung  by  Col.  Burr. 

In  further  evidence  of  the  "accuracy"  of  our  reviewer,  and 
his  knowledge  of  western  character,  we  quote  the  following  re- 
marks, wherein  he  sets  forth  his  opinion  of  the  Kentuckians: 
"  Tor  fear  of  using  Puritanical  restraints,  the  child  is  left 
to  go  his  own  way  to  destruction.  Mothers  encourage  their 
children  to  fight  with  their  companions,  and  praise  their  passion  or 
anger.  The  death  of  those  children,  shot  or  stabbed  in  some 
wild  fray,  is  too  often  the  terrible  result  of  such  early  lessons. — 
Young  ladies  lavish  their  favour  and  approbation  on  the  chival- 
ric,  and  give  their  smiles  to  the  lawless  reprobate  who  glories  in 
the  murders  he  has  committed  on  the  field  of  honour."  All  this 
is  deliberately  set  down,  as  the  sober  truth,  in  the  North  Ameri- 
can Review,  a  periodical  of  the  highest  class,  purporting  to  be 
conducted  under  the  auspices  of  gentlemen  and  scholars,  who 


PREFACE.  XXI 

are  not  sparing"  of  their  indignation  when  similar  remarks  are 
made  by  English  tourists.  They  give  out  these  sentiments  with- 
out qualification  as  applicable  to  a  whole  people — a  people  as  gene- 
rous, as  virtuous,  as  moral,  as  respectable,  as  those  of  any  other 
state  in  the  union.  The  statement  is  not,  that  some  children  are 
left  to  go  their  own  way  to  destruction,  but  that  all  are  alike 
abandoned  to  vice, — not  that  some  mothers  encourage  their  chil- 
dren to  fight,  but  that  such  is  the  admonition  of  the  Kentucky 
matron — not  that  some  young  ladies  prefer  a  reprobate  whose 
hand  is  stained  with  blood,  but  that  it  is  the  taste  of  the  Kentucky 
maiden  to  lavish  her  smiles  on  the  murderer.  We  would  ask  the 
reviewer  how  he  would  like  to  see  the  besetting  sins  of  a  portion 
of  the  population  of  his  own  state  set  down  as  characteristic  of 
the  whole  people  ?  Suppose  some  one  should  write  of  them — 
the  child  is  brought  up  m  the  love  of  money,  and  hatred  of  Ro- 
man Catholics.  Mothers  encourage  their  children  to  counterfeit 
bank  notes,  to  fabricate  bad  shoes  and  leaky  tin  vessels,  and  to 
manufacture  ingenious  wooden  imitations  of  nutmegs.  The  dis- 
cipline of  the  penitentiary,  or  the  Lynching  of  these  children  in 
southern  latitudes,  is  too  often  the  terrible  result  of  such  early  les- 
sons. Young  ladies  lavish  their  smiles  on  the  lawless  reprobate  who 
glories  in  having  assisted  at  the  tearing  down  of  a  convent.  Their 
chivalry  is  displayed  in  making  war  upon  women,  and  their  reli- 

fion  in  coveting  the  man  servant  and  maid  servant,  of  their  neigh- 
our.  We  do  not  say  that  one  word  of  this  would  be  true  of  the 
people  of  Massachusetts — -but  we  do  assert  without  the  fear  of 
contradiction,  by  any  candid  man,  that  it  would  be  just  as  true  as 
the  reviewer's  character  of  the  Kentuckians. 

But  we  are  not  yet  done  with  our  reviewer.  His  gall  is  con- 
centrated at  the  sequel  of  his  article,  like  the  drop  of  poison  upon 
the  sting  of  the  venomous  insect,  and  he  sums  up  his  opinion  of 
western  character  after  the  following  fashion:  "  Religious  restraint 
is  needed,  moral  principle  is  needed,  wise  guidance  is  needed. 
A  deep  reverence  for  truth,  a  profound  respect  for  law,  a  ready 
submission  to  right,  a  loyal  allegiance  to  duty,  these  will  make 
the  western  character  as  perfect  as  humanity  can  ever  hope  to 
become." 

If  this  is  intended  merely  as  one  of  those  Yankee  flourishes, 
written  to  make  the  village  gossips  roll  up  the  whites  of  their 
eyes  and  exclaim  "do  tell!"  "why  how  you  talk!" — it  may 
pass.  If  it  is  one  of  those  "  awful  disclosures,"  which  are  put 
forth  to  pioneer  the  way  for  Boston  school  books,  and  schoolmas- 
ters, and  agents,  it  may  go  for  what  it  is  worth.  But  if  the  edi- 
tor of  the  North  American  takes  upon  himself  the  responsibility 
of  asserting  with  critical  "  accuracy,"  that  western  character  is 
deficient  in  religious  restraint,  moral  principle,  reverence  for  truth, 
respect  fur  law,  submission  to  right,  and  allegiance  to  duty,  we 
have  only  to  say,  that  he  is  not  the  man  we  took  him  for — his  lack 


* 


XXU  TREFACE. 

of  information  on  the  subject  upon  which  he  has  chosen  to  write 
for  the  edification  of  his  readers,  is  a  venial  defect  compared  with 
the  want  of  politeness,  charity,  and  common  sense,  evinced  in 
the  composition  of  such  a  paragraph. 

With  regard  to  the  work  now  offered  to  the  public,  we  have 
only  to  remark,  that  like  its  predecessor,  it  consists  of  sketches 
illustrative  of  western  subjects.  The  greater  portion  of  them 
have  already  been  published  in  periodical  works.  The  article 
on  the  Public  Domain,  appeared  in  the  American  Quarterly  Re- 
view, and  that  in  relation  to  the  Western  Prairies,  was  written 
for  the  Illinois  Monthly  Magazine.  We  are  thus  particular,  be- 
cause several  years  have  elapsed  since  a  portion  of  this  matter 
was  first  published,  and  a  good  deal  of  it  mav  have  been  "  brought 
to  lig-ht"  in  the  compilations  that  have  since  been  made  up,  by 
persons  who  might  be  disposed  to  dispute  the  paternity  of  our 
offspring,  if  we  did  not  thus  specially  identify  it. 

Since  the  publication  of  the  foregoing  remarks  in  the  first  edi- 
tion of  this  work,  another  article  has  appeared  in  the  North 
American,  in  which  the  editor,  though  evidently  disconcerted  by 
our  exposure  of  his  gross  mistakes — to  give  them  no  harsher 
name — has  not  had  the  liberality  to  correct  them.  We  had  sup- 
posed it  possible,  that  the  blundering  criticism  in  question  had 
been  imposed  upon  him  by  some  weak-minded  person,  who  had  a 
private  pique  to  gratify  or  a  petty  interest  to  advance,  and  that 
on  being  convinced  of  the  manifold  inaccuracies  of  that  very  pue- 
rile and  stupid  production,  he  would  have  taken  pleasure  in  dis- 
owning it.  The  editor,  however,  deliberately  persists  in  giving 
circulation  to  the  reputed  calumnies,  and  leaves  me  no  alternative, 
but  that  of  reiterating  the  exposure  of  his  unprovoked  and  dis- 
creditable attack. 

We  cheerfully  admit  that,  if  we  had,  in  the  volumes  in  ques- 
tion, and  other  of  our  works,  availed  ourselves  of  "  other  men's 
labours"  to  a  greater  extent  than  has  been  our  practice,  those 
works  might  have  been  much  more  worthy  of  public  approbation; 
and  a  seasoning  of  "original  and  native  authorities,"  might  have 
earned  us  a  reputation  for  scholarship,  to  which  we  have  never 
aspired.  But  such  was  not  our  plan ;  and  if  any  meaning  at  all 
can  be  extracted  from  the  misty  grumblings  of' Butler,  and  the 
puerile  jeers  of  the  North  American,  our  offence  seems  to  be,  in 
their  eyes,  that  of  not  compiling  a  history,  from  existing  publica- 
tions, instead  of  writing  sketches  from  observation  and  memory. 

Having  spent  many  years  in  the  Western  States,  engaged  in 
active  business — in  travelling  extensively — in  mingling  intimately 
with  the  people — we  proposed  to  do  little  more  than  record  the 
results  of  our  own  experience,  and  of  the  information  gathered  per- 
sonally from  the  inhabitants;  and  we  confess  that  while  we  were 
startled,  on  the  one  hand,  by  the  call  for  original  and  native  aw- 


PREFACE.  Xxiil 

thorities,  we  were  not  less  surprised  on  the  other,  at  the  sweeping 
charge  of  knowing  liftU   of   Western   character^   and  poseeasing 

nothing  of  Western  spirit.  Nor  was  that  .surprise  lessened  by  the 
evidence  adduced  by  the  critic  to  sustain  his  assertions:  for  when 
he  attempts  to  specify  the  inaccuracies  that  indicate  the  alleged 
ignorance  of  western  character,  and  deficiency  of  western  spirit, 
what  do  they  amount  to?  A  few  dates,  it  seems,  are  supposed  to 
have  been  misstated — an  obsolete  treaty  is  thought  to  have  been 

misquoted — a  stale  electioneering  calumny  has  been  repudiated 

and  what  then')  Suppose  we  admit  the  supposed  errors — has  the 
critic  made  out  his  case?  Has  he  proved  that  our  books  "  might 
all  have  been  compiled  by  one  who  had  never  been  beyond  the 
atmosphere  of  London?"  Alas!  what  ills  await  the  critic  who, 
abandoning  the  safe  obscure  of  a  vague  generality,  ventures  in 
to  the  dangerous  daylight  of  a  specification!  Any  man  may  write 
another  down  an  ass,  but  he  who  would  prove  such  a  charge, 
must  make  his  evidence  conform  to  his  declaration.  We  are  ac- 
cused of  entire  ignorance,  titter  destitution  of  the  spirit  of  our  sub- 
ject, and  writing,  professedly  upon  personal  knowledge^  books  that 
could  as  well  have  been  written  by  one  who  had  not  seen  the 
country,  nor  witnessed  any  of  the  facts,  purporting  to  be  described 
— and  the  evidence  shows  up  a  few  inaccuracies,  which  the  editor 
himself  calls  M*fnoff  matter*/"  Small  matters  indeed!  the  charges 
involve  ignorance  and  knavery ;  the  evidence  only  purports  to 
show  the  most  venial  mistakes!  Knavery  may  be  a  small  matter 
in  the  region  of  the  North  American,  but  in  the  more  generous 
latitude  in  which  we  learned  our  morality,  the  writing  of  a  book 
professedly  from  personal  knowledge,  on  a  subject  of  which  the 
author  was  wholly  ignorant,  would  be  considered  a  serious  of- 
fence. We  are  aware  that  in  some  other  parts  of  our  continent, 
people  are  less  squeamish,  and  the  code  of  ethics  not  so  rigid. — 
So  far,  however,  from  sustaining  his  grave  charges,  the  errors 
attributed  to  us,  are  precisely  those  to  which  a  native  of  the 
country  would  have  been  as  liable  as  a  foreigner,  for  they  relate 
to  times  long  past,  and  to  events  beyond  the  personal  knowledge 
of  the  writer.  They  are  among  the  very  few  fragments  of  this 
work  which  have  been  gleaned  from  books,  but  which  prove 
nothing  in  relation  to  the  author's  know  ledge  of  western  charac- 
ter, or  possession  of  western  spirit.  Even  these  alleged  mistakes, 
wc  have  proved  to  be  unjustly  charged  to  us;  while  no  attempt 
has  been  made  to  refute  a  statement  or  expose  a  fallacy,  in  the 
far  greater  portions  of  our  several  works,  in  which  are  contained 
the  writer's  own  views  and  opinions. 


THE  WESTERN  PLAIN. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The   Western    Plain — Its    Limits — Its  Topography — The   Genera) 
Character  of  its  Formation — Its  Mineral  Resources. 

In  order  to  understand  the  subject  distinctly,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  consider  carefully  the  topography  of  that 
part  of  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  embraced  within 
our  remarks,  with  a  few  of  its  geological  features.  It 
extends  from  the  western  slope  of  the  Allegheny  moun- 
tains, to  the  great  sand  plains  of  the  west,  a  distance  of 
about  fifteen  hundred  miles  ;  and  from  the  northern  lakes 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  a  distance  of  about  six  hun- 
dred miles. 

"We  confine  ourselves  chiefly  within  these  limits,  be- 
cause they  circumscribe  a  territory  naturally  connected, 
by  similarity  of  climate,  and  contiguity  of  territory.  It 
is  properly  the  West,  the  seat  of  what  is  called  the 
Western  population,  and  the  most  valuable  tract  of  coun- 
try in  the  United  States.  It  embraces  the  states  of  Ken- 
tucky, Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Missouri,  the  territory  of 
Michigan,  and  parts  of  Virginia,  Pennsylvania,  and  Ten- 
nessee, and  a  region  of  about  five  hundred  miles  in 
width  lying  west  of  those  organised  boundaries.  There 
is  probably  not  on  the  globe,  an  equal  expanse  of  sur- 
face, of  such  uniform  fertility  ;  and  when  in  addition  to 
that  advantage,  we  take  into  view,  its  temperate  climate, 
its  salubritv,  the  abundance  of  its  mineral  resources,  the 

B  13 


14  THE    WESTERN    PLAIN*. 

variety  of  its  productions,  the  multiplicity  and  extent  of 
its  navigable  communications,  and  its  central  position  in 
relation  to  our  continent,  it  will  be  conceded  that  there  is 
none  which  better  deserves  to  be  described  and  studied. 

The  term  valley — the  valley  of  the  Mississippi — 
which  is  popularly  applied  to  this  region,  does  not  ex- 
press its  real  character,  as  it  is  in  fact  a  plain,  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  features  of  which,  is  the  great  extent  of 
level  surface  embraced  within  its  area ;  for  although  un- 
dulations, and  even  hills,  sometimes  swell  before  the  eye 
of  the  traveler,  the  general  plane  is  almost  invariable.  The 
difference  in  elevation  over  its  whole  surface — leaving  oul 
of  view  a  few  unimportant  local  inequalities — is  only  a 
few  feet.  There  is,  however,  a  gradual  declination  from 
the  north  east,  towards  the  southwest.  This  will  become 
obvious  from  an  examination  of  the  annexed  table,  com- 
piled by  Colonel  Long,  and  founded  on  actual  observa- 
tions had  in  his  expedition  to  the  sources  of  the  St.  Peter 

river. 

A  table  shewing  the  probable  altitudes,  in  feet,  of  the  water  level,  at 
a  variety  of  points  therein  specified,  above  tide  water. 

Points  Indicated.  Elevation. 

Mouth  of  the  Ohio  River 300 

Ohio  River  at  Cincinnati 41-1 

Do.       at  the  mouth  of  Sciota  River         -         -         464 
Do.       at  the  mouth  of  Muskinorum  River         -         541 
Surface  of  Lake  Erie;  River  des  Plaines  20  miles 
above  its  mouth  ;   Mississippi  at  th'e  head  of  the 
rapids  Des  Moines  ;  and  the  Ohio,  a  few  miles  be- 
low Wheeling-,  Va.  -  565 
Lakes  Huron  and  Michigan                          -  571 
Lake  Superior        -------         595 

The  Ohio  at.  Pittsburgh  ;  the  Mississippi  at  St.  Peters  ; 

and  the  Missouri  at  the  mouth  of  the  River  La  Platte      G80 
Sources  of  the  St.  Peter  and  Red  Rivers     -  830 

Source  of  the  Muskingum      -----         902 

Source  of  Big  Beaver        ------     907 

Source  of  the  Sciota 919 

Source  of  the  Miami  ------     964 

Lake  of  the  Woods 1040 

Rainy  Lake 1100 


TOPOGRAPHY.  15 

Point*  Indicated.  Elevation. 

Sources  of  the  streams  on  the  route  of  the  Expedi- 
tion, tributary  to  lakes  Winnepeck  and  Superior; 
and  licui  waters  of  the  Mississippi      ...       1200 

Dog  Lake 1000 

Lake  Winnepeck  ______         (j3o 

These  elevations  may  be  relied  upon,  as  possessing  all 
the  accuracy  desirable  for  the  purpose  of  topographical 
description,  having  been  derived  from  sources  entitled  to 
the  highest  credit.  Thev  have  reference  to  the  water 
surface,  and  shew,  that  from  Pittsburgh,  the  Ohio  river 
has  a  descent  of  less  than  four  hundred  feet,  to  its 
mouth, — a  distance,  by  its  meanders,  of  eleven  hundred 
miles  ;  and  that  from  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi  to 
the  same  point,  the  descent  is  only  about  seven  hundred 
feet.  The  surface  of  the  plain  itself  approaches  still 
nearer  to  an  actual  level.  Its  north  east  corner  near 
Pittsburgh,  lies  about  seven  hundred  feet  above  the 
tides  ;  the  plains  of  Kentucky  and  West-Tennessee  are 
about  the  same  height,  and  as  we  proceed  westwardly 
up  the  Missouri  or  Arkansas,  we  reach  similar  elevations. 
These  are  the  exterior  limits  of  the  plain  which  de- 
scends as  well  from  the  Rocky  Mountains,  as  from  the 
Alleghenies,  towards  the  Mississippi. 

"  The  great  and  numerous  rivers  that  cross  this  plain," 
savs  an  acute  writer  in  the  American  Quarterly  Review, 
"instead  of  forming  distinct  valleys,  do  but  indent  nar- 
row lines  or  grooves  into  its  surface,  barely  sufficient  to 
2ontain  their  floods.  These  river  channels,  as  the  cur- 
nut  rolls  on,  must  form  a  declivity,  and  towards  the 
lower  parts  of  their  courses  sink  deep  into  the  plain  ; 
henoe  the  lar^e  rivers,  Ohio,  Missouri  and  others,  seem 
bordered  with  abrupt  hills  of  several  hundred  feet  eleva- 
tion ;  but  the  tops  of  these  hills  are  the  level  of  the  irreat 
plain,  and  an-  formed  by  smaller  streams  which  fall  into 
those  large  rivers,  where  their  channels  are  thus  worn 
down ;    and    to    give   themselves    an    easy   slope,  these 


16  TOPOGRAPHY. 

streams  must  wear  down,  in  a  corresponding  manner  the 
neighboring  parts  of  the  plain ;  and  presenting  abrupt 
points  between  them,  shew  the  appearance  of  river  hills." 
We  give  the  language  of  another,  in  this  instance,  rather 
than  our  own,  that  our  views  may  be  corroborated  by 
those  of  other  persons. 

When  we  take  into  view  the  level  surface,  its  uniformi- 
ty of  conformation,  and  the  fact  that  it  rests  on  a  con- 
tinuous stratum  of  rock,  which  is  found  to  preserve  its 
horizontal  position  with  remarkable  regularity,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  comparatively  few  water  courses  take  their 
rise  within  the  more  central  parts  of  its  limits,  and  that 
the  subterranean  currents,  which  are  abundant,  seldom 
rise  to  the  surface,  but  find  vent  upon  the  margins  of 
streams,  where  the  valley  has  been  washed  down  to  their 
level.  Rich  as  our  country  is  in  noble  rivers,  almost  all 
of  those  of  superior  magnitude  take  their  rise  in  the  dis- 
tant mountains,  and  receive  comparatively  but  little  trib- 
ute from  the  wide  regions  through  which  they  roll;  and 
thus  the  great  streams,  which  in  the  spring  of  the  year, 
when  swelled  by  heavy  rains,  and  by  the  melting  snows 
of  the  mountains,  fill  their  banks  to  overflowing,  become 
exhausted  in  the  summer  and  autumn,  by  undergoing  in 
their  long  meandering  courses,  the  impoverishing  pro- 
cesses of  evaporation  and  absorption,  while  they  receive 
but  little  accession  from  their  tributaries.  The  Ohio, 
Missouri,  Cumberland,  Tennessee,  Arkansas,  Red 
River,  and  all  the  great  rivers  of  Tennessee  and  Ken- 
tucky, take  their  rise  in  the  mountains,  and  the  Missis- 
sippi flows  from  a  region  beyond  the  limits  of  our  plain  ; 
the  Illinois,  Wabash,  Sciota,  Muskingum,  Miami,  and 
others  of  secondary  importance,  originate  in  the  interior 
of  the  plain,  and  afford  but  little  water  during  the  dry 
part  of  the  season. 

The  formation  of  this  plain,  as  the  reader  will  have 
already  discovered,  is  secondary.     It  rests  upon  a  hori- 


CHARACTER    OF    FORMATION.  17 

zontal  limestone  pan,  of  such  depth  that  its  thick  strata 
have  never  been  pierced  through,  although  the  auger  has 
penetrated  into  it  in  search  of  .suit  water,  in  many  places, 
from  four  to  six  hundred  feet.     The  rock  lies  but  a  few 
feet  below  the  surface,  and  supports  throughout  its  whole 
extent,  strata  of  bituminous  coal,   and  saline  impregna- 
tions.    To  the  decomposition  of  this  limestone  may  be 
attributed,  in  part,  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  while  its  ab- 
sorbent and  cavernous  nature,  prevents  the  accumulation 
of  swamps  and  standing  pools,  and  renders  the  whole 
plain  dry  and  salubrious,  in  a  remarkable  degree.     The 
most  striking  indications  of  the  cavernous  character  of 
the  limestone,  are  to  be  seen  in  Kentucky  and  Tennessee, 
where    gigantic   caves   extend  their  varied  and  gloomy 
ramifications,  throughout  the  whole  of  the  substrata  of 
widely  extended  districts.     The  curious  have  explored 
some  of  these  cavities  for  many  miles,  and  spent  succes- 
sive days,  in  examining  their  winding  passages,  and  pro- 
digious chambers,  without  being  able  to  discover  their 
utmost  limits.     The  same  singular  configuration  of  the 
limestone  is  inferred,  in  other  places,  in  nearly  all  the 
western  states,  by  the  existence  of  curious  depressions 
of  the  earth,  popularly  called  sink  holes,  which  are  deep 
funnel  shaped  cavities,  sinking  abruptly  from  the  surface 
of  the  soil,  and  extending  down  to  that  of  the  rock,  and 
which  are  doubtless  caused  by  the  dropping  of  the  earthy 
particles,  through  some  fissure  of  the  limestone.     These 
holes  are  often  found  in  large  groupes,  when  they  pre- 
sent a  most  singular  appearance.     They  are  usually  dry ; 
but  instances  occur,  where  the  outlet  at  the  bottom  havinc 
become  choked  by  some  impervious  substance,  the  rain 
water  accumulates,  and  remains  unexhausted  throughout 
the  year. 

In  the  year  1811,  a  series  of  earthquakes  continued  for 
a  few  months,  to  shake  the  whole  southern  portion  of 
this  immense  district.     The  region  of  Kentucky  south 

b  2 


18  CHARACTER    OF    FORMATION. 

of  Green  river,  and  southern  parts  of  Illinois  and  Mis- 
souri, formed  the  chief  scenes  of  this  alarming  phenome- 
non, the  vibrations  of  which   were  however  felt   in  a 
slight  degree  in  the  higher  latitudes  of  the  plain.     The 
shocks  were  sufficiently  severe  to  prostrate  chimnies,  and 
to  cause  the  timbers  of  log  and  framed  houses  to  be  shaken, 
and  even  separated.    At  New  Madrid  on  the  Mississippi, 
the  earth  yawned,  and  the  inhabitants  were  driven  from 
their  homes  ;  and  at  one  point  in  that  vicinity,  so  large  a 
quantity  of  water  is  said  to  have  been  engulphed  in  a  chasm 
beneath  the  bed  of  the  river,  that  this  mighty  river  ceased 
for  a  moment  to  roll  its  waters  towards  the  ocean.     The 
latter  statement,  however,  must  be  received  with  caution, 
as  it  rests  solely  upon  the  hasty  observations  of  a  few 
panic  stricken  voyagers,  through  an  almost  uninhabited 
region.     The  terror  caused  by  this  visitation  was  very 
great,  and  it  still  continues  to  be  a  prominent  subject  in 
the  traditions  of  that  part  of  the  country.     But  there  is 
not  the  slightest  reason  for  believing  in  the  existence  of 
any  permanent  causes,  which  would  render  this  plain  li- 
able to  such  occurrences.    In  the  twenty-four  years  which 
have  subsequently  elapsed,  the  alarm  has  not  been  re- 
peated ;  while  the  uniformity  of  the  surface  of  this  coun- 
try, and  the  remarkable  absence  of  the  appearances  that 
indicate    the    disruption  of  the    strata,  shew  that  such 
events  had  not  occurred  in  earlier  times. 

The  first  settlers,  and  the  earliest  travelers,  spoke  of 
hurricanes  of  vast  extent  and  tremendous  power,  as 
among  the  peculiar  phenomena  of  this  plain  ;  but  their 
statements  have  not  been  confirmed  by  experience.  Those 
who  travel  over  uninhabited  countries,  or  reside  in  tem- 
porary dwellings  in  the  wilderness,  are  exposed  in  a 
greater  degree  than  ordinary,  to  the  accidents  of  the 
seasons,  and  are  apt  to  magnify  those  usual  occurrences, 
which  might  have  passed  unobserved  under  other  circum- 
stances, when   less    personal    inconvenience    or  danger 


CHARACTER    OF    FORMATION'.  19 

would  have  resulted  from  them.  The  diversities  of  tem- 
per, and  of  physical  organisation!  are  so  numerous,  that 
we  should  receive  with  great  distrust,  any  observations 
upon  elimate,  detailed  by  persons  who  are  exposed  to  its 
action  for  a  season,  and  who  neither  make  deliberate  sci- 
entific experiments,  nor  report  a  series  of  facts,  carefully 
recorded. 

The  same  course  of  reasoning  may  be  applied  to  the 
alledged  variability,  and  the  reputed  unhealthiness,  of 
our  climate.  Facts  of  such  grave  importance  should  not 
be  considered  as  settled,  by  that  common  rumor,  whose 
want  of  veracity  is  so  notorious.  The  results  of  patient 
and  careful  investigation,  by  competent  men  of  science, 
will  hereafter  decide  these  points,  and  will,  in  our  opinion, 
shew  that  the  current  reports  in  relation  to  these  matters, 
have  been  in  direct  opposition  to  the  truth. 

When  we  speak  of  the  present  advantages,  and  future 
greatness,  of  the  West,  it  is  proper  that  we  should  dis- 
criminate, so  as  not  to  deceive  those  who  have  not  the 
means  of  judging  for  themselves.  The  climate  differs  but 
little  from  that  of  corresponding  parallels  of  latitude,  in 
the  United  States.  So  far  as  health  is  concerned,  we 
suppose  the  advantage  to  lie  on  our  side  of  the  mountains, 
while  in  reference  to  vegetation,  there  is  no  observable 
difference. 

Neither  is  there  any  supernatural  fertility  in  our  soil, 
which  yields  its  rich  returns  only  under  the  operation  of 
careful  and  laborious  tillage.  It  is  the  great  breadth  and 
continuity  of  our  fertile  surface,  which  gives  to  the  West 
its  superior  advantages.  It  is  the  accumulation  within 
one  wide  and  connected  plain,  of  the  most  vast  resources 
of  agricultural  and  commercial  wealth  ;  and  the  facilities  af- 
forded by  our  country,  for  concentrating  and  using  an  un- 
limited amount  of  wealth,  and  bringing  into  combined  ac- 
tion the  energies  of  millions  of  industrious  human  beings, 
on  which  are  based  the  broad  foundations  of  our  greatness. 


20  MINERAL    RESOURCES. 

With  the  breadth  of  an  empire,  we  have  all  the  facili- 
ties for  intercourse  and  trade,  which  could  be  enjoyed 
within  more  limited  boundaries.  Our  natural  wealth  is 
not  weakened  by  extension,  nor  our  vigor  impaired  by 
division.  The  riches  of  soil,  timber,  and  minerals,  are 
so  diffused  as  to  be  every  where  abundant ;  and  the  com- 
munication between  distant  points  is  so  easy  as  to  render 
the  whole  available.  The  products  of  the  industry  of 
millions  may  be  here  interchanged  with  unparalleled  ease 
and  rapidity ;  and  when  our  broad  lands  shall  be  settled, 
there  will  be  a  community  of  interest,  and  an  intimacy 
of  intercourse,  between  myriads  of  men,  such  as  were 
never  before  brought  under  the  operation  of  a  common 
system  of  social  and  civil  ties. 

The  mineral  resources  are  abundant.  The  coal,  which 
is  pure  and  excellent,  spreads  throughout  the  whole  re- 
gion, and  is  in  most  places  easily  accessible.  Iron  ore 
abounds  generally  :  especially  in  Pennsylvania,  Tennes- 
see and  Missouri,  and  the  best  ore  is  said  to  yield  seven- 
ty-five per  cent,  of  fine  malleable  iron.  At  Pittsburgh 
and  Cincinnati,  but  particularly  at  the  former  place,  this 
metal  is  wrought  into  a  great  variety  of  manufactures. 
The  lead  districts  of  Illinois  and  Missouri,  would  cover 
two  hundred  miles  square,  and  form  undoubtedly  the 
richest  region  of  that  metal  which  has  been  discovered 
on  any  part  of  the  globe.  The  French  resorted  to  these 
mines  many  years  ago,  but  it  is  only  recently  that  their 
extent  and  value  have  been  made  known ;  yet  something 
like  twenty  millions  of  pounds  of  lead  have  been  smelted 
at  them,  in  the  course  of  one  year,  and  there  is  no  ques- 
tion of  their  capacity  to  afford  a  permanent  supply  of  that 
useful  metal  to  the  whole  civilized  world.  The  cavernous 
region  of  Kentucky  has  been  found  to  be  strongly  im- 
pregnated with  salt-petre,  of  which  vast  quantities  have 
been  made  and  exported.  Copper  has  long  had  a  tradi- 
tionary existence,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  north  wes- 


THE     RIVER     OHIO.  21 

tern  lakes.  The  ore  has  been  found  in  small  quantities 
in  different  places,  and  at  one  spot  a  solid  mass  weighing 
several  tons,  of  remarkable  purity,  has  attracted  the  at- 
tention of  the  curious;  but  all  attempts  to  discover  a  suf- 
ficient body  of  the  mineral,  to  render  the  manufacture 
productive,  have  failed.  Salt  is  an  important  article  of 
manufacture.  Saline  springs  are  distributed  throughout 
the  whole  region,  some  of  which  are  copious  and  strongly 
impregnated.  On  an  average,  one  hundred  and  twenty 
gallons  of  the  water  will  make  sixty  pounds  of  salt,  but 
it  is  much  stronger  in  some  places  than  at  others.  Of  the 
mineral  waters  the  chalybeate  is  most  frequently  found, 
impregnations  of  pure  sulphur  are  common  ;  those  of 
copperas,  alum,  and  sulphate  of  magnesia,  are  occasion- 
ally met  with. 

In  treating  the  subjects  under  consideration  more  in  de- 
tail, we  shall  be  under  the  necessity  of  dividing  the  re- 
gion under  consideration  into  two  separate  districts,  and 
to  speak  occasionally  of  the  valley  of  the  Ohio,  and  that 
of  the  Mississippi ;  for  although  the  whole  forms,  in 
fact,  one  great,  and  remarkably  uniform  plain,  there  are 
yet  some  striking  peculiarities  which  distinguish  each  of 
these  rivers,  as  well  as  the  lands  lying  upon  their  mar- 
gins. Of  these  peculiarities  I  propose  to  treat  under  the 
several  heads  into  which  this  work  will  be  divided. 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  River  Ohio. 

It  may  be  well  to  commence  our  rapid  sketch  of  this 
river,  with  an  attempt  to  explain  the  etymology  of  its 
name.  We  shall,  however,  do  no  more  than  present  the 
views  of  messrs.  Duponceau  and  Heckewelder, — two 
gentlemen  who  have  bestowed  great  attention  upon  the 


22  THE    RIVER    OHIO. 

aboriginal  languages  of  our  country, — as  expressed  in  a 
paper  in  the  Transactions  of  the  American  Philosophical 
Society. 

From  this  communication,  it  appears  evident,  that  the 
idea,  which  has  prevailed  to  some  extent,  that  the  word 
Ohio  is  derived  from  the  Iroquois  language,  is  not  correct. 
It  has  been  said,  that  the  Iroquois  Indians  called  the  Ohio 
the  fine  or  beautiful  and  sometimes  the  bloody  river. 
Mr.  Duponceau  examined  the  vocabularies  of  that  lan- 
guage, for  the  words  corresponding  with  these  terms,  and 
became  satisfied  that  the  word  Ohio  was  not  derived  from 
them.  Farther  examination,  satisfied  his  mind  that  the 
position  taken  by  Mr.  Heckewelder,  is  correct,  which  is, 
that  the  term  Ohio  is  derived  from  a  word  or  words  in  the 
Delaware  language,  which  mean  the  white  or  the  white 
foaming  river. 

Mr.  Heckewelder  expresses  the  opinion  that  the  four 
letters  composing  the  word  Ohio  do  not  comprise  the 
whole  of  the  Indian  name.    His  reasons  are  the  following: 

1st,  That  the  names  given  by  the  Indians  to  rivers,  are 
invariably  descriptive  either  of  those  streams  or  some- 
thing about  them. 

2nd,  That  he  had  never  heard  the  Indians  call  this 
river  by  the  name  of  Ohio, 

3d,  Because  the  French  and  English,  in  using  Indian 
names,  are  accustomed  to  drop  a  part  of  them,  to  render 
the  pronunciation  easy, 

Mr.  Heckewelder  then  gives  a  list  of  words  from  which 
he  argues  that  this  name  has  been  derived  ;  some  of 
which,  with  their  meaning  in  the  English  language,  are 
here  quoted, 

O'hui — Ohi,  very. 

O'peu,   white. 

Opelechen,  bright,  shining, 

Opeck,  white  with  froth. 

Ohiopechen,  it  is  of  a  white  color. 


THE    RIVER    OHIO.  23 

Ohiopeek,  very  white,  (caused  by  froth  or  white  caps.) 

Ohiophaniu',  very  white  stream. 

Ohiopeeklianne,  very  deep  and  white  stream,  (by  its 
being  covered  over  with  white  caps.) 

Ohiopehhele,  which  signifies  white  frothy  water. 

Mr.  lit  (kr  welder  then  adds,  "  The  Ohio  river  being 
in  many  places  wide  and  deep,  and  so  gentle,  that  for 
many  miles,  in  some  places,  no  current  is  perceivable  : 
the  least  wind,  blowing  up  the  river,  covers  the  surface 
with  what  the  people  of  that  country  call  white  caps; 
and  I  have  myself,  for  days  together,  witnessed  that  this 
has  been  the  case,  caused  by  southwardly  and  south-west- 
wardly  winds,  so  that  we,  navigating  the  canoes,  durst 
not  venture  to  proceed,  as  these  white  caps  would  have 
filled  and  sunk  our  canoe  in  a  minute.  Now  in  all  such 
cases,  when  the  river  could  not  be  navigated  by  canoes, 
nor  even  crossed  with  this  kind  of  craft — when  the  whole 
surface  of  the  water  presented  white  foaming  swells,  the 
Indians  would,  as  the  case  was  at  the  time,  apply  one  or 
other  of  the  above  quoted  words  to  the  state  of  the  river ; 
they  would  say  'juh  Ohiopicchen,'  'Ohiopeek  ohio- 
peekhanne ;'  and  when  they  supposed  the  water  very 
deep,  they  would  say,  '  Kitschi  ohiopeeklianne,'  which 
means,  '  verily  this  is  a  deep  white  river.' 

Again  recurring  to  the  habit  of  abbreviating  Indian 
words,  so  generally  prevalent  among  the  French  and  Ame- 
ricans, Mr.  Heckewelder  concludes  his  interesting  remarks 
upon  this  subject,  with  the  supposition  that  at  an  early 
day,  the  emigrants  to  the  west,  took  the  first  syllable  of 
the  Indian  name  '  Ohiopekhanne,'  because  both  easy  to 
pronounce  and  to  keep  in  the  memory. 

The  river  Ohio,  for  some  distance  below  Pittsburgh  is 
rapid,  and  the  navigation  interrupted  in  low  water  by 
chains  of  rock  extending  across  the  bed  of  the  river. 
The  scenery  is  eminently  beautiful,  though  deficient  in 
grandeur,  and  exhibiting  great  sameness.     The  hills,  two 


24  THE    RIVER    OHIO. 

or  three  hundred  feet  in  height,  approach  the  river,  and 
confine  it  closely  on  either  side.  Their  tops  have  usual- 
ly a  rounded  and  graceful  form,  and  are  covered  with  the 
verdure  of  an  almost  unbroken  forest.  Sometimes  the 
forest  trees  are  so  thinly  scattered  as  to  afford  glimpses  of 
the  soil,  with  here  and  there  a  mass,  or  a  perpendicular 
precipice,  of  grey  sandstone,  or  compact  limestone,  the 
prevailing  rocks  of  this  region.  The  hills  are  usually 
covered  on  all  sides  with  a  soil,  which  though  not  deep, 
is  rich. 

Approaching  towards  Cincinnati,  the  scenery  becomes 
still  more  monotonous.  The  hills  recede  from  the  river 
and  are  less  elevated.  The  bottom  lands  begin  to  spread 
out  from  the  margin  of  the  water.  Heavy  forests  cover 
the  banks,  and  limit  the  prospect.  But  the  woodland  is 
arrayed  in  a  splendor  of  beauty,  which  renders  it  the 
chief  object  of  attraction.  Nothing  can  be  more  beauti- 
ful, than  the  first  appearance  of  the  vegetation  in  the 
spring,  when  the  woods  are  seen  rapidly  discarding  the 
dark  and  dusky  habiliments  of  winter,  and  assuming  their 
vernal  robes.  The  gum  tree  is  clad  in  the  richest  green ; 
the  dogwood  and  red-bud  are  laden  with  flowers  of  the 
purest  white  and  deepest  scarlet;  the  buckeye  bends  un- 
der the  weight  of  its  exuberant  blossoms.  The  oak,  the 
elm,  the  walnut,  the  sycamore,  the  beech,  the  hickory, 
and  the  maple,  which  here  tower  to  a  great  height,  have 
yielded  to  the  sunbeams,  and  display  their  bursting  buds, 
and  expanding  flowers.  The  tulip  tree  waves  its  long 
branches,  and  its  yellow  flowers  high  in  the  air.  The 
wild  rose,  the  sweet-briar,  and  the  vine,  are  shooting  in- 
to verdure  ;  and  clinging  to  their  sturdy  neighbors,  mod- 
estly prefer  their  claims  to  admiration,  while  they  afford 
delightful  promise  of  fruit  and  fragrance. 

The  scenery  still  exhibits  the  same  appearance,  as  we 
continue  to  descend  the  river,  except  that  the  hills  gradu- 
ally become  less  bold  and  rocky.     The  shores  of  the 


THE    RIVER    OHIO.  25 

Ohio  do  not  any  where  present  that  savage  grandeur, 
which  often  characterises  our  larger  streams.  No  tall 
clifl's,  no  bare  peaks,  nor  sterile  mountains,  impress  a  sen- 
timent of  dreariness  on  the  mind.  The  hills  are  high, 
but  gracefully  curved,  and  every  where  clothed  with  ver- 
dure. There  is  a  loneliness  arising  from  the  absence  of 
population,  a  wildness  in  the  variegated  hues  of  the 
forest,  and  in  the  notes  of  the  feathered  tribes;  but  the 
traveler  feels  none  of  that  depression  which  results  from 
a  consciousness  of  entire  insulation  from  his  species, 
none  of  that  awe  which  is  inspired  by  those  terrific  out- 
lines that  display  the  convulsions  of  nature  or  threaten 
the  existence  of  the  beholder.  It  is  impossible  to  gaze 
on  the  fertile  hills  and  rich  bottoms  that  extend  on  either 
side,  without  fancying  them  peopled;  and  even  where  no 
signs  of  population  appear,  the  imagination  is  continually 
reach ing  forward  to  the  period  when  these  luxuriant  spots 
shall  maintain  their  millions. 

The  absence  of  population  alluded  to,  is  to  be  consid- 
ered in  a  comparative  sense.  With  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Il- 
linois on  the  one  hand,  and  Kentucky  and  Virginia  on  the 
other,  there  can  be  no  dearth  of  inhabitants ;  but  their 
dwellings  are  less  frequently  presented  to  the  traveler's 
<  ye  than  might  be  supposed.  We  continually  pass  villages, 
great  or  small,  and  farm  houses  are  scattered  along  the 
shore ;  but  we  often  float  for  miles  without  discovering 
any  indication  of  the  residence  of  human  beings.  Many  of 
the  river  bottoms  are  inundated  annually,  and  land  has  not 
yet  become  so  scarce  or  valuable  as  to  induce  the  owners  i 
to  reclaim  these  spots  from  the  dominion  of  the  water. 
Such  places  remain  covered  with  gigantic  timber,  which 
conceals  the  habitations  beyond  them.  The  commanding 
eminences  are  seldom  occupied,  because  the  settlers  are 
farmers,  who  consult  convenience,  rather  than  beauty,  in 
the  location  of  iheir  dwellings,  and  who  generally  pitch 
their  tents  in  the  vicinitv  of  a  spring,  upon  the  low  grounds. 

C 


2G  THE    RIVER    OHIO. 


<o 


One  peculiarity,  which  is  common  to  this  river  and  the 
Mississippi,  and  is  perhaps  owing  as  well  to  their  great 
volume  of  water,  as  to  the  nature  of  the  secondary  formation 
through  which  they  roll,  is  the  rounded  and  graceful 
shape  of  their  meanders.  The  noble  stream,  clear, 
smooth,  and  unruffled,  sweeps  onward  with  regular  ma- 
jestic force.  Continually  changing  its  direction,  as  it 
flows  from  vale  to  vale,  it  always  winds  with  dignity,  and 
avoiding'  those  acute  angles  which  are  observable  in  less 
powerful  streams,  sweeps  round  in  graceful  bends.  The 
word  bend  is  very  significantly  applied,  in  the  popular 
phraseology  of  this  region,  to  express  these  curvatures 
of  the  river. 

The  beautiful  islands,  which  are  numerous,  should  not 
be  foro-otten.  These  are  sometimes  large  and  fertile,  but 
generally  subject  to  inundation,  and  seldom  under  tillage. 
Sometimes  they  are  mere  sandbanks,  covered  with  thick 
groves  of  the  melancholy  willow,  whose  branches  dip 
into  the  water.  The  term  toiv-head,  is  significantly  ap- 
plied to  the  latter,  by  the  boatmen. 

Below  the  Falls  of  Ohio,  we  find  a  country,  not  essen- 
tially different  from  that  above,  but  presenting  a  different 
appearance  to  the  eye,  as  viewed  from  the  river.  The 
change  has  been  so  gradual,  that  the  traveler  only  now 
begins  to  realise  a  diversity  of  surface,  soil,  and  climate 
The  country  is  flat,  the  soil  is  deep,  black,  and  rich. 
Small  ranges  of  hills  are  seen  at  intervals  ;  but  the  rock 
foundation  is  seldom  exposed  to  the  eye.  The  river- 
bottoms  become  more  extensive,  exhibit  decided  appear- 
ances of  annual  inundation,  and  are  intersected  by  bay- 
oux,  or  deep  inlets,  which  are  channels  for  the  water  in 
time  of  flood,  and  remain  empty  during  the  rest  of  the 
year.  Cane-brakes  are  occasionally  seen  along  the  banks. 
The  cane  is  an  evergreen,  from  twelve  to  twenty  feet  in 
height,  which  grows  chiefly  in  rich  flats.  It  stands  so 
thick  upon  the  ground,  as  to  form  an  almost  impenetrable 


THE    RIVER    OHIO.  27 

thicket,  and  as  it  is  usually,  in  this  region,  found  among 
ponds  and  bayotix,  tin-  cane-brake  is  always  a  secure  re- 
treat lor  bears,  which  feed  upon  the  buds,  and  for  deer 
and  other  gregarious  animals.  The  first  settlers  find  them 
very  valuable,  as  affording  food  for  their  cattle  during  the 
winter;  and  even  after  the  country  has  been  many  years 
settled,  the  inhabitants -drive  their  cattle  to  the  cane  in  the 
autumn,  and  suffer  them  to  remain  without  any  further 
attention  until  the  ensuing  spring.  The  cane,  however, 
is  generally  destroyed  in  a  few  years,  by  the  large  num- 
ber of  cattle  which  arc  thus  wintered  upon  it.  Cattle  and 
horses  eat  it  greedily,  and  will  stray  several  miles  in 
search  of  this  favorite  food,  which  is  said  to  be  very 
nourishing. 

Cotton-wood,  peccans,  catalpas,  and  gigantic  syca- 
mores, are  now  seen  in  the  rich  bottoms.  Extensive 
groves  of  cotton-wood  sometimes  clothe  the  shores  of  the 
river.  The  tree  is  large,  and  extremely  tall ;  the  foliage 
of  a  rich  deep  green,  resembling  that  of  the  Lombardy 
poplar,  to  which  tree  this  also  assimilates  somewhat  in 
shape.  Nothing  can  exceed  the  beauty  of  these  groves  : 
at  a  distance,  a  stranger  might  imagine  them  forests  of 
Lombardy  poplar ;  and  as  that  tree  is  devoted  to  orna- 
mental purposes,  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  refrain  from 
fancying,  that  some  splendid  mansion  is  concealed  in  the 
impervious  shade  ;  while  the  deep  gloom  with  which 
they  envelop  the  soil,  gives  a  wild,  pensive,  and  solemn 
character,  to  the  cotton  tree  grove. 

The  eatalpa  is  a  small  graceful  tree,  remarkable  for  the 
beauty  of  its  flowers.  The  peccan  is  a  tall  tree,  resem- 
bling the  hickory,  to  which  it  is  nearly  related  ;  it  yields 
:t  rich,  fine  nut,  of  which  large  quantities  are  annually 
exported.  It  is  found  on  the  margin  of  the  Ohio  and 
V>  bash  for  a  short  distance  above  and  below  the  junction 
of  those  rivers,  and  within  the  corresponding  parallel  on 
th(  Mississippi,  but  not  elsewhere  in  this  region.     Grape- 


28  THE    RIVER    OHIO. 

vines  are  numerous  and  very  large,  the  stems  being  some- 
times nearly  a  foot  in  thickness,  though  seldom  exceeding 
six  or  eight  inches,  and  the  branches  extending  to  the 
tops  of  the  tallest  trees. 

The  misletoe  is  seen  hanging  from  the  branches  of  the 
trees  throughout  the  whole  course  of  the  Ohio.  It  be- 
comes more  abundant  after  passing  Cincinnati,  and  is 
seen  in  the  greatest  profusion  between  Louisville  and  the 
mouth  of  the  river.  This  little  plant  never  grows  upon 
the  oround,  but  with  a  very  poetic  taste,  takes  up  its  attic 
residence  upon  the  limbs  of  the  tallest  trees.  The  berry 
which  contains  the  seed,  is  so  viscous  as  to  adhere  to  the 
feet  of  birds,  who  carry  it  from  tree  to  tree,  and  thus 
contribute  to  the  propagation  of  this  ornamental  parasite. 

The  paroquet  is  now  seldom  seen  north  of  Cincinnati. 
They  are    abundant    below  Louisville,  where    flocks    of 
them  are  heard   chattering  in  the  woods,  or  beheld  sport 
ing  their  bright  green  plumage  in  the  sunbeams. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  characteristics  of  this,  and 
other  western  rivers,  is  the  vast  and  rapid  accumulation 
in  the  volume  of  water  which  takes  place,  usually  in  the 
spring,  but  occasionally  at  other  seasons,  and  is  caused 
by  the  immense  extent  of  the  territory  drained. 

When  the  waters  are  low,  as  is  commonly  the  case,  in 
the  dry  seasons  of  the  summer  and  autumn,  the  majestic 
Ohio  dwindles  to  a  small  stream,  affording  but  limited 
facilities  for  navigation.  Among  the  hills  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  Virginia,  it  is  seen  rippling  over  chains  of  rock, 
through  which  a  passage  is  barely  afforded  to  boats  of 
the  lightest  burthen.  Further  down,  its  channel  is  but 
rarely  obstructed  by  ledges  of  rock  ;  but  instead  of  these, 
a  series  of  sandbars,  extending  in  some  places  from  shore 
to  shore,  and  in  others  projecting  from  the  margin  of  the 
river  far  into  its  bed,  and  covered  by  but  a  few  inches  of 
water,  render  the  navigation  almost  impracticable.  Steam 
boats  constructed  for  the  purpose,  and  navigated  by  skill- 


THE    RIVER    OHIO.  29 

ful  pilots,  ply  with  difficulty  from  port  to  port.  Many 
are  grounded  upon  the  bars,  from  which  perilous  situa- 
lion  some  are  relieved  with  great  labor,  while  others  are 
obliged  to  remain  exposed  to  the  elements,  daring  the 
rest  of  the  season,  and  are  either  lost,  or  seriously  injured. 
The  larger  boats  are  wholly  useless  during  this  pan  of 
the  year ;  and  of  the  hundreds  of  noble  vessels  that  are 
seen  at  other  times  actively  plying  upon  these  rivers, 
freighted  with  rich  cargoes,  the  greater  portion  now  lie 
inactive. 

As  a  general  rule,  it  may  be  stated  that  the  water  is 
lowest  during  the  months  of  July,  August,  and  Septem- 
ber. The  autumnal  months  are  frequently  dry,  and  the 
river  remains  low,  in  that  case,  until  the  winter.  More 
usually  there  are  slight  rises  of  water  throughout  the  fall 
season,  which  render  the  navigation  practicable ;  and  as 
the  weather  becomes  cold,  there  is  a  gradual  increase  in 
the  volume  of  water.  Throughout  the  winter,  the  fre- 
quent changes  from  cold  to  moderate  weather,  produce 
rains  and  rapid  thaws,  which  occasion  a  series  of  freshets, 
and  afford  an  ample  supply  of  water. 

The  change  from  the  severe  cold  of  the  winter,  to  the 
higher  temperature  of  spring,  is  usually  sudden,  and  is 
attended  by  the  precipitation  of  vast  floods  into  the  chan- 
nels of  the  larger  rivers.  The  snows  that  lie  deep  spoil 
the  Allegheny  mountains,  are  rapidly  melted,  and  the 
immense  mass  of  water  which  is  thus  produced  upon  the 
whole  of  the  western  declivity  of  that  wide  chain,  from  the 
borders  of  New  York  to  those  of  North  Carolina,  are 
thrown  into  the  Ohio.  If  the  melting  of  the  snow 
is  accompanied  by  heavy  and  general  rains,  which  is 
often  the  case,  it  will  be  seen  that  causes  are  brought  into 
operation,  of  sufficient  magnitude  to  produce  the  most 
astonishing  results.  The  long  and  deep  channels  of  the 
rivers  become  filled  to  overflowing,  the  islands  sink  be- 
neath the  surface,  the  alluvial  bottoms    and  lowlands  are 

c  % 


80  THE    RIVER    OHIO. 

covered,  and  we  gaze  upon  a  mass  of  waters,  the  immen 
sity  of  which  creates  a  feeling  of  awe,  as  well  as  of  intense 
curiosity. 

This  accumulation  is  attended  with  but  comparatively 
few  inconveniences,  and  scarcely  any  danger,  while  its 
beneficial  effects  are  incalculably  great.  The  arrange- 
ments of  Providence,  intended  for  the  advantage  of  man, 
however  gigantic  and  uncontrollable,  seldom  carry  with 
them  any  cause  for  terror.  We  have  none  of  those  sud- 
den and  precipitous  floods,  which  in  mountainous  districts, 
are  sometimes  poured  down  upon  the  valleys,  with  unex- 
pected violence,  attended  by  widespread  desolation  of  life 
and  property.  Our  rivers  rise  with  rapidity  until  the 
channels  become  nearly  filled  ;  but  as  the  waters  swell 
to  the  brink,  the  width  and  capacity  of  these  reservoirs 
become  so  great,  the  inlets  and  branches  so  numerous, 
the  lowlands  to  be  covered  so  wide,  that  the  perpendicular 
accumulation  of  the  volume  becomes  slow  and  gradual. 
After  leaving  the  immediate  region  of  the  mountains,  the 
descent  of  the  water  courses  is  so  gradual,  as  to  prevent 
the  flood  from  rolling  forward  with  violence,  while  the 
channels  prepared  for  it  by  nature,  and  planned  upon  the 
most  magnificent  scale,  are  too  immense  to  be  rapidly 
filled  to  overflowing. 

In  speaking  of  the  lowlands  which  border  on  the  river 
Ohio,  we  use  a  phrase,  which  is  comparative  in  its  im- 
port. When  the  waters  are  low,  or  even  at  the  medium 
height  which  affords  safe  navigation  for  the  largest  vessels, 
the  voyager  sees  the  alluvial  banks  high  above  him  on 
either  hand,  and  can  scarcely  imagine  that  any  concur- 
rence of  ordinary  natural  causes,  can  produce  a  volume 
of  water  of  sufficient  magnitude  for  their  submersion. 
The  increase  of  water  therefore,  to  the  point  at  which  in- 
undation commences,  is  not  the  work  of  an  hour  nor  of 
a  day — it  is  not  like  the  hasty  rising  of  a  brook,  nor  the 
rush  of  a  mountain  torrent — but  the  powerful  swelling  of 


THE    RIVER    OHIO.  31 

a  great  stream,  increasing  with  gradual  and  majestic 
progression,  and  affording  to  man  and  brute,  due  notice 
of  its  approach*  In  so  large  a  volume  of  water,  it  will 
also  be  readily  understood  that  the  force  of  the  current 
will  be  near  its  centre,  the  portion  that  rolls  in  contact 
with  the  hanks  will  have  a  retarded  motion,  while  that 
which  overflows  the  flat  lands,  will  be  stagnant,  or  How 
gently  backward  in  eddies.  Such  in  fact  is  the  invaria- 
ble operation  of  these  great  causes  ;  and  although  domes- 
tic animals  which  linger  on  the  higher  spots  of  the  shore 
until  the  surrounding  lands  are  immersed,  and  their  retreat 
is  cut  of,  are  sometimes  drowned,  and  although  fences  are 
floated  off,  there  is  never,  on  any  of  the  overflowed  lands, 
a  strength  of  current  great  enough  to  sweep  away  per- 
manent dwellings,  or  to  endanger  the  lives  of  men  or 
cattle,  where  ordinary  prudence  is  used. 

As  the  waters  rise,  trade  and  navigation  are  quickened 
into  activity.  The  largest  vessels  now  float  in  safety  ; 
the  steam  boat  of  six  hundred  tons  burthen,  is  as  secure 
from  the  dangers  of  the  river  navigation  as  the  lightest 
skiff;  and  it  is  a  noble  sight  to  behold  these  immense 
vessels,  darting  along  with  the  current,  with  all  the  addi- 
tional velocity  which  can  be  given  by  a  powerful  engine, 
or  stemming  with  apparent  ease  the  rolling  torrent,  whose 
immense  bulk  seems  to  give  it  a  fearful  energy,  which 
no  human  means  might  attempt  to  overcome. 

At  this  season  the  spectator  who  is  stationed  upon  the 
shore, — perhaps  at  a  spot  where  no  human  dwelling  is 
within  sight,  and  where  the  wilderness  is  untamed  and 
unaltered, — sees  these  vessels  passing  in  rapid  succession, 
— not  unfrequently  several  at  the  same  time  being  visible 
— laden  so  heavily  that  the  whole  hull  is  immersed,  and 
it  would  seem  as  if  the  least  additional  weight  would 
sink  them. 

The  flat  bottomed  boats  are  also  numerous  at  this  sea- 
son.    These  are  built  along  the   shores  of  the  river,  but 


32  THE    RIVER    OHIO. 

more  frequently  on  its  tributary  streams,  and  often  on  the 
smaller  rivers  and  creeks,  far  inland,  and  at  points  beyond 
the  reach  of  all  ordinary  navigation.  Here  they  lie,  with 
their  cargoes,  waiting  until  the  annual  rise  of  water  shall 
afford  them  the  means  of  proceeding  upon  their  voyages  ; 
when  they  are  floated  ofi',  with  their  immense  freights, 
consisting  chiefly  of  the  heavier  articles  of  the  produce 
of  the  country. 

The  highest  rise  of  water  which  has  been  known  for 
many  years,  was  the  great  flood  of  1832,  with  regard  to 
which  our  friend  Dr.  John  Locke  of  Cincinnati,  has  been 
kind  enough  to  furnish  us  with  the  following  memoranda, 
of  observations  made  bv  himself  at  that  city,  and  which 
are  rendered  valuable,  by  the  undoubted  accuracy  and 
skill  of  that  gentleman  in  his  philosophical  investigations. 

The  section  of  the  river  opposite  to  Walnut  street, 
Cincinnati,  at  low  water,  would  be  1006  feet  wide  at  the 
surface,  and  7  feet  deep,  at  the  deepest  place.  The  area 
would  be  4774  square  feet. 

The  rise  of  water  which  commenced  early  in  February 
1832,  reached  its  greatest  elevation  on  the  18th  day  of 
that  month,  when  it  was  63  feet  perpendicular  above  the 
low  water  mark  ;  and  the  sectional  area  became  91, 16 1 
square  feet,  without  including  its  extension  over  the 
lower  parts  of  Cincinnati  and  Covington.  The  number 
of  cubic  feet  discharged  per  hour,  was  -  2,998.529,714 
'J1  he  number  of  cubic  feet  discharged  per 

minute,  was 48,308,8-28 

The  number  of  cubic  feet  discharged  per 

second,  was 805,117 

■ 

The  velocity  of  the  stream  was  ascertained  to  be  6~ 
miles  per  hour. 

Such  a  stream  would  fill  a  lake,  presenting  an  area  of 
one  square  mile,  107  feet  deep,  in  one  hour. 

Having  ascertained  the  quantity  of  water  discharged, 
the  next    inquiry  was  in   relation  to   the   sources   of  the 


THE     RIVER    OHIO.  33 

flood.     The  first  point  to  be  examined  was  in  reference 

to  the  area  ot"  the  valley  <»!'  the  Ohio,  ami  its  waters, 
above  Cincinnati,  or  in  other  words,  the  exit  nt  of  the 
surface  drained  by  the  tributaries  which  are  discharged 
into  the  Ohio,  above  our  city. 

S<Jii<irr  Mi 

This  valley  includes  about  |  of  Ohio,   -  -     27,000 

i  of  Virginia,  27,000 

\  of  Kentucky,  7,000 
5  of  Pennsylvania,    11,500 

of  New  York,  1,000 

of  Maryland,  500 

of  N.  Carolina,  500 


Total,  77,000 
By  calculation  it  appears  that  a  depth  of  four  inches 
only,  over  this  immense  space  of  seventy  seven  thousand 
square  miles,  was  sufficient  to  maintain  the  river  at  the 
above  uncommon  height  and  velocity  for  fourteen  days. 
The  winter  of  1831-2  had  been  unusually  severe,  and 
the  ground  was  frozen  to  a  great  depth,  when  there  sud- 
denly fell,  according  to  the  register  of  Dr.  Hildreth  of 
Marietta,  eight  inches  of  rain.  Ordinarily,  most  of  the 
water  which  falls  to  the  earth,  is  absorbed  by  it ;  but  in 
this  instance  the  surface  being  completely  sealed,  the 
whole  of  the  water  which  fell,  was  suddenly  thrown  into 
the  channels  of  the  rivers.  This  appears  to  be  a  probable 
and  sufiicient  cause,  for  the  inundation  which  destroyed 
so  much  property,  and  caused  so  much  distress  and 
alarm.  If  it  be  the  true  theory,  it  follows  that  no  such 
flood  can  happen  in  the  temperate  months,  nor  at  any 
season,  except  upon  a  conjunction  of  circumstances,  so 
rarely  occurring  in  combination,  as  to  render  its  recur- 
rence probable  only  at  remote  periods — perhaps  not  more 
frequently  than  once  in  a  century. 

\  general   law  in  relation    to  freshets  in  rivers,  is,  that 
the  water  attains  its  greatest  elevation  at  a  point  nearly 


34  THE    RIVER    OHIO. 

midwav  in  the  length  of  the  stream.  The  rule  applies 
usually  to  each  stream  proper — each  having  its  separate 
valley  ;  and  would  be  operative  upon  the  Ohio,  within 
the  limits  embraced  by  its  name,  beginning  at  Pittsburgh, 
and  ending  at  its  confluence  Avith  the  Mississippi.  The 
application  of  such  a  law,  cannot  however  be  very  exact, 
as  it  will  be  modified  by  a  variety  of  circumstances.  It 
can  only  be  assumed  as  a  fact  of  usual  occurrence,  grow- 
ing out  of  very  obvious  reasons,  that,  the  causes  which 
produce  a  freshet,  act  with  powerful  and  rapidly  aug- 
menting force,  to  a  point  somewhere  nearly  midway  of 
tha  course  of  the  stream,  from  which  point  the  counter- 
acting causes  begin  to  operate,  and  the  volume  becomes 
diminished  in  depth  by  the  greater  width  of  the  channel, 
by  absorption  upon  the  overflowed  grounds,  by  evapora- 
tion, and  by  other  means.  Assuming  Cincinnati  to  be 
sufficiently  near  a  central  position,  as  regards  the  length 
of  the  Ohio,  to  satisfy  this  rule,  we  may  suppose  that 
the  greatest  periodical  accumulation  of  wrater  is  at  this 
point,  and  adopting  the  data  afforded  by  the  great  rise  in 
the  spring  of  1832,  the  height  of  sixty  three  feet  may  be 
safely  given,  as  the  maximum  perpendicular  increase 
above  low  water  mark. 

The  mass  of  water  occasioned  by  these  causes,  comes 
loaded  with  floating  logs  and  drift  wood, — not  however 
in  such  quantities  as  to  impede  the  navigation — and  with 
alluvial  soil,  and  silicious  particles,  swept  from  the  shores  ; 
and  as  the  waters  which  spread  over  the  bottom  lands, 
soon  become  nearly  stationary,  the  earthy  matter  held  in 
suspension  settles  down,  and  adds  a  rich  coat  to  the  soil, 
while  the  floating  wood  is  left  in  the  same  position  by  the 
subsiding  of  the  flood.  Hence  the  annual  accumulation 
of  ihe  alluvion  lands ;  and  the  regular  formation,  in  con- 
sequence of  which  the  surface  is  always  found  to  be  most 
elevated,  near  the  margin  of  the  stream,  where  the  first 


THE    RIVER    OHIO.  35 

and  most   abundant  depositc  is  made,  as  the  water  flows 
outward  o\  er  the  hanks. 

In  lower  water  the  navigation  of  this  river  is  impeded, 
in  its  upper  portions  by  ledges  of  rock,  and  lower  down, 
by  snags  and  sandbars.  These  obstructions  might  un- 
doubtedly be  removed ;  and  as  there  is  scarcely  any  sub- 
ject of  so  much  importance,  it  seems  to  us  that  there  has 
been  a  singular  apathy  in  the  public  mind  in  relation  to  it. 
The  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers  stretch  from  one  end  to 
the  other,  of  this  great  valley,  and  extend  their  larger 
tributaries  throughout  its  whole  breadth.  The  Atlantic 
itself  does  not,  within  our  empire,  wash  so  extensive  a 
line  of  coast,  or  bear  the  freights  of  commerce  to  so  many 
ports.  Thirteen  states  and  territories,  embracing  half  the 
members  of  the  union,  and  a  still  larger  proportion  of  its 
surface,  lie  in  contact  with  these  waters,  and  are  directly 
interested  in  their  navigation.  It  is  therefore  as  much  a 
matter  of  national  concern,  and  as  important  to  the  Amer- 
ican people,  to  improve  the  natural  avenues  of  intercom- 
munication afforded  by  those  rivers,  as  the  protection  of 
our  commerce  on  the  ocean  by  a  naval  force,  or  the  con- 
struction of  harbors  and  light-houses  for  its  convenience. 
The  one  is  a  national  commerce,  not  because  it  embraces 
an  intercourse  with  foreign  countries,  but  on  account  of 
its  general  utility,  and  of  the  numbers  who  enjoy  its 
benefits  ;  and  the  other  is  equally  national  for  the  same 
reasons.  Like  the  ocean  too,  this  great  thoroughfare  is 
common  to  all.  It  is  difficult  to  say  which  state  is  most 
interested  in  its  trade  and  navigation,  or  where  the  line 
of  demarkation  would  be  drawn,  which  should  separate 
the  direct  interest  of  one  from  another,  or  shew  where 
one  ended  and  the  other  commenced. 

But  these  are  precisely  the  kind  of  public  improvements 
which  have  been,  least  of  all,  pressed  upon  the  considera- 
tion of  the  general  government.  The  western  states,  very 
properly,  consider   themselves   entitled  to  a  liberal  share 


36  THE    RIVER    OHIO. 

of  so  much  of  the  public  treasure  as  may  be  set  apart  for 
such  purposes;  for  all  of  them,   in  which   the  land  is 
owned    by    the    government,     have    made    concessions 
which  far  exceed  the  donations  received  by  them.     The 
appropriations  of  the  general  government,  in  aid  of  inter- 
nal improvements,  have  usually  received  their  direction 
from  calls  made  upon  congress  by  the   state  legislatures ; 
and  the  latter,  influenced  by  selfishness,  by  personal  con- 
siderations, and  by  that  very  natural  species  of  patriotism 
which  looks  first  at  home,  and  only  at  home,  have  been 
in  the  habit  of  confining  their  recommendations,  chiefly, 
to  objects  of  public  utility  within  their  own  boundaries. 
All   of  them   have   claimed  assistance  for  their  colleges, 
their  common  schools,  their  roads,  or  their  canals  :  praise- 
worthy objects,  upon  which  we  care  not  how  liberal,  or 
how  lavish,  may  be   the  expenditure  of  the  federal    trea- 
sure.    But  there  has  been  an   absence  of  that  enlarged 
policy,  which  should  have  looked  to  results  of  wider  and 
more  permanent  advantage  to  the  whole  west ;  and  which 
should  have  brought  the  combined  interest  of  the  whole 
to  act  for  the   general  good.     Appropriations  of  money 
for  purposes   of  limited  or  doubtful    utility   have    been 
passed  with  difficulty  through  the  legislative  branches  of 
the  government,  and  have   sometimes  been  arrested  by 
the  executive  ;  for  they  must  struggle  against  selfishness, 
opposing  interests,  constitutional  scruples,  and   even  po- 
litical intrigue.     But  works  like  those  under  consideration, 
would    be   obnoxious    to    no    objection,  nor  alarm  any 
honest   scruple;  and   a   weight  of  influence   might   be 
arrayed   in  their  favor,  which  would  look   down  every 
shadow  of  opposition.     If  the  whole  west  should  unite 
in  demanding  from  the  national  treasury  an  appropriation 
sufficient  to   complete    all   the  labors  requisite  to  the  im- 
provement of  these  rivers,  no  state,  nor  combination  of 
states,  could  arrest  the  passage  of  a  law  which  should  pro- 
vide for  so  noble  an  object — Pennsylvania  and  Virginia 


THE    RIVER    OHIO.  37 

being  parties  concerned,  and  .New  York  having  a  direct 
interest  and  connexion  with  the  west,  which  would  con- 
ciliate her  favor.  Among  ourselves,  there  could  be  but 
one  opinion.  There  is  not  a  farmer,  a  merchant,  nor  an 
owner  of  real  estate,  in  the  west — not  a  man  who  has 
interests  in  common  with  those  of  his  country,  who 
would  not  be  directly  benefitted,  by  such  improvements  as 
should  make  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers  navigable 
throughout  the  year. 

That  such  improvements  are  feasible,  that  they  are 
within  the  scope  of  the  means  at  the  command  of  the 
nation,  and  strictly  within  the  constitutional  exercise  of 
its  power,  are  points,  which  we  think  will  not  now  be 
disputed,  by  any  rejecting  mind.  The  rapids  in  the 
upper  p.irts  of  these  rivers,  are  composed  of  ledges  of 
rock,  or  masses  of  loose  stone,  through  which  permanent 
channels  may  be  made  with  facility.  The  snags,  once 
so  formidable,  have  been  greatly  diminished  in  number, 
and  may  be  entirely  removed. 

The  reader  is  probably  aware,  that  snags  are  formed 
by  the  trunks  of  large  trees,  which  are  precipitated  into 
the  river  by  the  crumbling  of  the  banks.  The  base  of 
ill-'  stem,  with  its  mass  of  lateral  roots,  would  by  its  own 
weight  be  sunk  to  the  bottom,  but  it  is  rendered  still 
heavier  by  the  mass  of  clay  which  adheres  to  it.  This 
part  therefore,  sinks — the  top  of  the  tree  floats,  and  is 
thrown  into  the  direction  of  the  current — the  roots  bury 
themselves  in  the  mud,  and  the  subsequent  deposites  of 
sand  or  earth,  fix  the  obstruction  firmly  in  the  channel. 
The  smaller  branches  of  the  tree  soon  drop  off,  and  the 
large  limbs  remain,  pointing  down  the  stream.  When 
these  sunken  trees,  are  concealed  beneath  the  surface, 
they  are  very  dangerous  to  boats  ascending  the  stream, 
which  rushing  upon  them  with  the  momentum  given  by 
a  powerful  steam  engine,  seldom  fail,  when  they  strike 
them,  to  have  the  hull  of  the  vessel  completely  perforated. 

D 


38  THE    RIVER    OHIO. 

This  subject  has  already  received  some  attention  from 
Congress,  and  the  results  have  been  auspicious.  Taking 
all  that  has  been  done  together,  little  as  it  has  been,  we 
are  not  aware  that  any  expenditure  of  public  money  has 
been  more  judicious. 

In  the  year  1819  an  examination  of  the  whole  bed  of 
the  Ohio  was  made  by  a  board  of  commissioners  appoint- 
ed by  the  several  states  interested,  whose  report  justified 
the  hope  that  the  navigation  of  this  fine  river  was  sus- 
ceptible of  great  improvement. 

Subsequent  examinations  have  afforded  more  minute 
details,  tending  to  strengthen  the  opinion  then  entertained. 
We  copy  the  following  just  remarks,  from  a  report  made 
in  1835,  by  Lieutenant  G.  Dutton,  of  the  United  States 
corps  of  Engineers. 

"  The  Ohio  river  derives  from  the  Allegheny  its  prin- 
cipal and  most  lasting  supply  ;  during  the  summer  months 
its  volume  is  maintained,  and  very  frequently  increased, 
by  occasional  rains  during  that  period,  which  enlarge 
materially  the  supplies  drawn  from  the  copious  basin  of 
this  tributary,  and  it  is  only  during  a  season  of  unusual 
drought,  that  it  arrives  at  its  minimum  stage  ;  this,  from 
a  comparison  of  the  best  authorities,  is  assumed  at  15 
inches.  The  least  depth  obtained  during  the  examina- 
tion this  season  was  2  min.  2  sec,  although  the  water, 
for  the  brief  space  of  a  few  days  only,  has  been  as  low 
as  two  feet  over  some  of  the  shoals  between  Pittsburgh 
ind  Wheeling.  The  Ohio  through  its  wThole  course  has 
in  general  a  very  equable  and  gentle  current.  During 
high  stages  this  is  the  most  uniform,  although  its  rate  is 
then  considerably  increased  ;  at  low  stages  the  river  be- 
comes resolved  into  a  succession  of  ripples,  with  exten- 
sive slack  water  basins  between  them  varying  in  depth 
from  two  to  three,  and  even  five  fathoms.  The  valley 
of  the  river  is  bounded  on  each  side  by  richly  timbered 
hills  of  great  uniformit)'  in  their  average  height,  enclosing 


THE    RIVER    OHIO.  39 

fertile  bottoms  which  alternate  in  very  regular  succession 
on  either  side  of  the  river;  ledges  of  rock  occasionally 
appear  along  its  banks  ;  these  are  generally  of  stratified 
and  easily  wrought  sandstone. 

''There  are  few  points  on  the  river  deserving  the  name 
of   gorges  ;   the   nearest  approach   to  an  opening  of  ihat 
character  is  found  at  Brown's  island,  65  miles  below  Pitts- 
burgh.    The   heights  here   approach  within  the  distance 
of  600  yards,  and  ledges  of  rocks  exhibit  themselves  on 
eacli  side  of  the  river.     There  are  several  other  formida- 
ble passes  on    the   river,  which  however,  in  comparison 
with    the    shoals    are   few  in   number ;    of  the   character 
alluded   to  are  Captina  and  Buflington's  islands,  and  the 
rapids  called   Le  Tart's  falls  ;   these  are  more  dangerous 
for  the  passage  of  keel  and  flat  boats  than  for  that  of 
steamers,  which  under  the  management  of  careful  pilots, 
are  exposed  to   little  risk,  when  there  is  found  sufficient 
depth  of  water  at  those  points  for  floatage.     The  obstruc- 
tions in  the   river  generally  arise  from  want  of  sufficient 
depth  of  water,  over  many  of  the  shoals   at  low  stages. 
There  are  points  however,  where  owing  to  the  existence 
of  projecting  rocks,  the  navgiation  is  not  safe  for  as  much 
depth  as   is  contained  in  the  channel.     The  bars  in  the 
river  may  be   classed,  1st,  into  those  formed  of  hard  and 
apparently  of  permanent  gravel ;  2nd,  shifting   or  loose 
gravel ;  and  3rd,  shifting  sandbars.     The  first  abound  in 
the  upper  section  of  the  river.     These  are  generally  ex- 
posed to  a  strong  current,  and  formed  of  rounded  oblong 
pebblef  and  stones,  varying  from  one  to  fifty  pounds  and 
upwards  ;   they  become  by  the  continued   action   of  the 
water,  cleared  of   all  smaller  particles,  firmly  imbedded, 
and  by  their  conformation  resist  the  action  of  the  current, 
the   bottom    assuming  the   consistency  of,  or   similarity 
with,  a  pavement  of  smooth  stones. 

"The  bars  of  the  second   class  are  composed  of  fine 
gravel,  moveable  by  strong  currents,  and  occur,  as  well 


40  THE    RIVER    OHIO. 

as  the  sandbars  at  the  lower  junction  of  the  chutes  formed 
by  the  islands ;  these  change  their  position,  when  upon 
the  fall  of  the  waters,  the  main  channel  of  the  river  pre- 
dominates in  a  new  direction,  and  the  fall  and  current 
increase  by  the  subsidence  of  the  lower  basins.  In  the 
upper  section  of  the  river,  the  sandbars  are  always  found 
under  the  lee  of  the  islands,  or  at  the  meeting  of  the  chan- 
nels. In  the  lower  are  extensive  sandbars  unaccompanied 
by  islands  ;  the  most  important  of  these  are  met  with  be- 
tween Guyandot  and  Cincinnati.  In  addition  to  the 
shoals,  large  quantities  of  logs  and  snags  are  distributed 
in  different  parts  of  the  river.  On  some  of  the  shoals, 
they  lie  imbedded  in  the  gravel,  forming  dangerous  ob- 
structions to  the  low  water  navigation.  Large  trees  with 
their  roots,  branches,  and  foliage,  in  full  verdure,  under- 
mined and  thrown  into  the  stream  by  the  gradual  abrasion 
of  the  alluvial  banks  at  high  water,  are  of  frequent  occur- 
rence. Many  logs  are  disgorged  from  the  smaller  tribu- 
taries and  creeks  which  empty  into  the  Ohio.  These 
creeks,  when  swelled  by  rains  into  rapid  torrents,  dis- 
charge large  quantities  of  pebbles,  and  large  angular  stones, 
into  the  bed  of  the  river  ;  in  many  cases  forming  extensive 
bars  at  their  junction. 

"  In  descending  the  river  from  its  head,  a  considerable 
improvement  is  experienced  in  the  depth  of  water  after 
reaching  the  foot  of  Wheeling  island ;  from  this  point 
the  river,  at  stages  admitting  the  passage  of  light  draught 
steamers,  is  practicable  for  about  six  inches  greater  draught 
than  the  section  above  it.  This  circumstance  is  not  due 
to  the  reception  of  any  important  tributary  to  its  waters, 
but  solely  to  the  decrease  in  the  rapidity  of  its  descent ; 
this  difference  in  the  depth  is  less  perceptible  at  an  ex- 
treme low  stage.  From  a  comparison  of  the  best  data 
obtainable,  the  descent  from  Pittsburgh  to  Wheeling  has 
been  estimated  approximative^,  at  one  foot  to  the  mile ; 
from  Wheeling  to  Guyandot,  eight  inches ;  and   thence 


THE    RIVER    OHIO.  41 

to  Louisville,  four  inches  per  mile.  Below  Guyandot, 
the  character  of  the  river  becomes  materially  changed  ; 
it  here  enlarges  its  bed,  and  flows  onward  with  a  dimin- 
ished current ;  the  level  reaches  are  longer,  and  the  de- 
scent at  the  ripples  less.  This  enlargement  of  its  bed, 
however,  renders  the  depth  over  some  of  the  shoals  in 
this  part  at  the  river,  very  slight  at  low  water,  forming 
several  very  shoal  sand  and  gravel  bars.  From  Cincin- 
nati to  Louisville,  the  navigation  becomes  comparatively 
much  improved.  There  are  two  or  three  bars  on  this 
section,  and  some  dangerous  snags  below  the  mouth  of 
Kentucky  river,  which  require  attention.  It  would  be 
desirable  to  give  a  specific  description  and  sketch  of  each 
shoal,  were  it  not  that  their  great  number  and  similarity 
would  render  such  description  a  monotonous  repetition 
of  nearly  the   same  circumstances. 

"  An  important  feature  in  the  Ohio  river  is  observable 
in  the  fact,  that  at  all  the  islands  are  also  located  the  worst 
shoals  and  rapids,  or  falls.  These  islands  are  considered 
rather  the  effect,  than  the  cause  of  this  fall,  and  formed, 
like  the  alluvial  bottoms,  by  the  gradual  deposite  from  the 
river,  which,  at  those  points  being  spread  out  at  low  wa- 
ter, leaves  some  portions  of  the  projecting  parts  of  its  bed 
uncovered.  In  respect  to  Captina  and  Burlington's 
islands,  the  low  water  channel  at  each  deflects  from  the 
main  direction  of  the  bed,  and  passes  off  laterally,  through 
a  narrow  and  circuitous  route,  around  the  island.  The 
main  or  direct  channel,  in  both  the  cases  alluded  to,  is 
rendered  dangerous  by  rocks,  and  too  shoal  at  low  water 
for  navigation. 

"  The  rocks  in  the  Ohio  chute,  at  Captina  island,  appear, 
from  recent  examinations,  to  be  of  a  detached  character, 
and  susceptible  of  removal.  The  direct  channel  at  Buf- 
nngton's  island,  is  bounded  by  a  ledge  of  stratified  sand 
stone  rock,  projecting  into  the  river,  which  is  supposed 
to  continue  entirely  across  the  channel,  beneath  the  gravel 

d2 


42  THE    RIVER    OHIO. 

bottom ;  it  is,  however,  situated  nearly  at  the  foot  of  the 
rapids.  Some  loose  rocks  are  scattered  in  this  channel. 
"  With  regard  to  the  islands,  and  particularly  those  at 
which  the  low  water  channel  deviates  from  the  direct 
continuation  of  the  main  bed  of  the  river,  shifting  bars  are 
always  found  under  the  lee  of  the  islands.  This  rule 
appears,  from  the  result  of  my  examination,  to  be  of 
general  application  in  regard  to  all  similar  points  on  the 
river.  The  water,  at  high  stages,  passes  with  the  greatest 
volume  and  current  through  the  most  direct  and  spacious 
channel,  which  then  predominating,  throws  into  the  foot 
or  junction  of  the  smaller  passage  powerful  eddies,  de- 
positing therein  a  bar,  which  again  changes  and  deepens 
upon  the  fall  of  the  waters.  With  regard  to  the  rapids, 
called  Letart's  falls,  the  river  here  passes  over  a  rocky 
bottom,  with  a  descent  and  current  far  greater  than  is 
found  at  any  other  point  above  the  falls ;  the  bottom  is 
free  from  dangerous  projections,  and  the  concentration  of 
the  water  at  this  place,  by  the  more  prominent  parts  of 
the  rocky  bed  on  each  side,  renders  the  depth  over  these 
rapids  much  greater  than  upon  most  of  the  shoals  in  the 
river.  The  current,  which  is  here  five  and  three  quarters 
miles  per  hour,  at  a  moderate  stage,  can,  in  general,  be 
stemmed  by  steamboats  of  sufficient  power ;  but  for  keel 
boats,  and  the  lighter  class  of  steamers,  permanent  warp- 
ing fixtures  are  here  necessary.  The  points  most  requir- 
ing immediate  attention,  in  the  shoaler  section  of  the  river, 
lying  between  Pittsburgh  and  the  junction  of  the  Muskin- 
gum, at  Marietta,  are,  Logtown  bar,  Black's  and  Brown's 
islands,  Beech  Bottom  bar,  McMahon's  creek  below 
Wheeling,  which  requires  the  removal  of  many  dangerous 
rocks  and  logs,  Captina  island,  Petticoat  ripple  in  the 
long  reach,  Carpenter's  bar,  and  Marietta  island ;  at  this 
latter  point,  the  junction  of  the  Ohio  channel,  opposite 
to  the  town  of  Marietta,  is  crossed  by  a  large  bar  of  loose 
shifting  sand,  which  makes  from  the  foot  of  the  island 


THE    RIVER    OHIO.  43 

across  to  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum.  At  the  head  of  the 
island,  throe  in i lis  above,  the  Virginia  channel  is  crossed 
by  a  shoal  gravel  bar. 

M  By  the  execution  of  that  part  of  the  plan  of  improve- 
ment now  in  progress,  viz  :  the  removal  or  clearing  the 
channel  of  all  sunken  log?1,  stumps,  snags,  and  projecting 
rocks,  the  navigation  at  low  stages,  and  particularly  for 
light  draught  sti  amers  and  keel  boats,  will  be  rendered 
much  safer,  and  even  practicable  for  a  deeper  draught, 
than  it  is  under  present  circumstances  considered  prudent 
to  employ.  There  are  some  sand  and  light  gravel  bars, 
which  are  among  the  very  shoalest  on  the  river,  but 
which,  notwithstanding,  are  not  ranked  among  the  most 
serious  obstructions,  from  the  comparative  safety  with 
which  their  passage  may  be  attempted.  A  system  of  im- 
provement, having  for  its  object  to  secure  a  specific  deptli 
of  water  at  all  seasons,  sufficient  to  meet  the  demands  of 
the  trade  upon  those  streams  which  are  rendered  impassa- 
ble during  the  dry  seasons,  from  the  diminution  of  the 
supplies  derived  from  their  tributaries,  can  be  effected 
with  certainty  only  by  a  series  of  dams  and  locks. 

"As  this  mode  is  not,  however,  contemplated  with  regard 
to  the  Ohio,  the  concentration  of  the  river  into  one  chan- 
nel, and  the  appropriation  of  all  the  water  passing,  to  that 
object,  during  low  stages,  will,  it  is  believed,  accomplish 
all  the  further  improvement  contemplated." 

The  project  of  removing  the  snags  and  sunken  timber 
from  the  beds  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi,  originated 
with  Captain  Henry  M.  Shreve,  who  next  to  Fulton,  has 
done  more  for  steam  boat  navigation  in  the  west,  than  any 
other  man.  He  contrived  a  steam  boat,  for  this  purpose, 
which  operates  with  such  speed  and  energy,  that  scores 
of  the  largest  trees  are  raised  in  a  day,  with  the  assistance 
of  a  few  hands.  The  business  of  removing  snags  is  per- 
formed onlv  when  the  water  is  low  ;  at  other  times  the 
crews  of  the  boats  are   employed  in  cutting  away  the 


44  THE    RIVER    OHIO. 

overhanging  timber  from  the  falling  in  banks, — that  is 
from  such  banks  as  are  gradually  becoming  undermined 
by  the  action  of  the  current,  and  which  supply  the  great- 
est amount  of  these  dangerous  obstacles  to  navigation. 
The  boat  is  of  the  most  simple  construction,  yet  has  such 
power,  that  the  largest  tree,  however  firmly  fixed,  is  re- 
moved in  a  few  minutes.  A  number  of  these  ingenious 
vessels  have  been  employed  for  several  years,  under  the 
direction  of  Captain  Shreve,  in  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi, 
and  thousands  of  snags  have  been  removed  by  them.  In 
the  year  ending  in  September  1833,  1960  were  taken  up 
in  the  latter  river,  and  supposing  many  to  have  been  left, 
the  chances  of  danger  to  ascending  vessels,  were  dimin- 
ished by  at  least  that  number.  Within  the  same  year, 
the  crews  of  those  boats  were  employed,  when  the  water 
rose  too  high  to  admit  of  working  on  the  bed  of  the  river, 
in  cutting  away  the  trees  which  overhung  the  stream,  or 
stood  on  banks  liable  to  be  undermined,  and  actually 
felled  10,000  trees,  which  must  soon  have  been  precipi- 
tated into  the  mighty  current.  The  same  operation  has 
now  been  continued  for  several  years,  at  an  annual  ex- 
penditure of  less  money,  than  was  previously  lost  by  the 
yearly  destruction  of  property,  from  this  single  cause — 
to  say  nothing  of  the  loss  of  life.  It  is  true  that  the  ob- 
structions are  continually  renewed ;  but  the  number  of 
trees  which  are  thrown  into  the  stream,  must  be  annually 
decreased,  by  the  settlement  of  the  country,  and  the  con- 
sumption of  timber  for  fuel,  by  steam  boats.  Firewood 
has  already  become  a  valuable  article  ;  and  but  few  years 
will  elapse  before  every  tree,  on  the  margin  of  a  navigable 
river,  will  have  acquired  a  value  sufficient  to  induce 
measures  for  converting  into  fuel,  the  whole  of  that  im- 
mense mass,  which  would  otherwise  have  been  carried 
away  by  the  spring  floods. 

The  sandbars  of  the  Ohio,  present  a  more  permanent 
and  serious  obstruction  to  navigation.     These  are  numer- 


THE    RIVER    OHIO.  45 

ous — many  of  them  extending  entirely  across  the  bed  of 
the  river,  and  affording  less  than  two  feet  of  water  in  any 
part.  To  cut  a  channel  through  a  bank  of  sand,  would 
not  be  impracticable  ;  but  the  excavation  thus  effected 
would  be  filled  by  the  deposites  of  the  next  ilood.  It  is 
difficult  to  project  a  remedy  for  this  evil,  which  shall  be 
effectual  and  permanent.  About  ten  years  ago,  Colonel 
Long  of  the  topographical  engineers,  was  instructed  by 
the  government  to  make  an  experiment,  and  adopted  the 
plan  of  throwing  out  wing-dams  from  each  side  of  the 
river,  so  as  to  confine  the  current  within  narrow  bounds, 
and  to  give  it  sufficient  volume  to  wash  a  channel  for 
itself.  He  spent  a  summer  in  constructing  such  a  work 
at  Henderson  bar,  200  miles  below  Louisville.  The 
dams  were  constructed  of  piles  driven  into  the  sand  and 
rising  but  a  few  inches  above  its  surface.  The  enter- 
prizing  Captain  Shreve  has  since  pursued  and  improved 
the  same  plan,  and  has  constructed  similar  dams  at 
French  island,  at  Three-mile  island,  at  Scuflletown  bar,  and 
at  the  Three  sisters.  These  were  formerly  the  shoalest  and 
most  difficult  bars  in  the  Ohio  ;  they  have  been  greatly  im- 
proved, and  may  now  be  passed  in  the  lowest  water.  The 
most  extensive  of  these  works,  and  that  which,  if  success- 
ful, will  most  satisfactorily  attest  the  correctness  of  the 
principle  which  applies  to  them  all,  is  the  one  now  in  pro- 
gress and  nearly  completed,  at  Cumberland  island,  near 
the  mouth  of  Cumberland  river.  It  is  proposed  to  change 
the  channel  of  the  river,  so  as  to  force  its  waters  to  pass  be- 
tween the  island  and  the  Kentucky  shore,  by  which  means 
a  channel  will  be  washed  through  the  bar  below,  and  the 
mouth  of  the  Cumberland  river  relieved  of  a  very  formi- 
dable obstruction.  Two  hundred  men  were  employed 
last  year  on  this  work.  The  length  of  the  dam  is  about 
half  a  mile,  its  width  at  the  base  thirty  feet,  and  its  height 
sixteen  feet;  it  is  composed  of  large  masses  of  limestone 
rock,  quarried  from  the  shores  above. 


46  THE    RIVER    MISSISSIPPI. 

Some  diversity  of  opinion  has  been  entertained,  as  to 
the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  these  operations,  in 
reference  both  to  sandbars  and  snags  ;  but  the  doubts  are 
not  greater,  nor  better  founded,  than  those  which  have 
invariably  assailed  every  novel  and  bold  undertaking.  It 
is  obvious  too,  that  many  of  them  proceed  from  interested 
persons ;  the  pilots  decry  every  improvement  in  the 
navigation  of  the  rivers,  which  by  making  it  more  safe 
and  easy,  has  a  tendency  to  render  their  own  calling  less 
important,  and  their  services  less  valuable,  while  the 
owners  and  officers  of  insufficient  and  badly  managed 
boats,  are  always  ready  to  attribute  those  disasters,  by 
which  life  and  property  have  been  wantonly  endangered 
to  any  other  cause  than  their  own  cupidity  or  criminal 
mismanagement. 

The  only  objection  to  any  of  these  measures,  is  that 
they  have  not  been  attempted  on  a  scale  of  magnitude 
becoming  their  importance,  and  urged  with  all  the  energy 
which  could  be  given  by  the  resources  of  a  great  nation. 
The  western  plain  is  the  centre  of  our  empire,  the  citadel 
of  its  strength,  the  magazine  of  its  resources,  the  heart, 
whose  healthful  operation  must  throw  out  nourishment 
and  vigor  to  the  whole  continent, — and  here  should  the 
nation  lay  deep  and  broad  the  foundations  of  its  future 
greatness. 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  River  Mississippi. 

From  the  Ohio,  we  proceed  naturally  to  that  part  of  the 
Mississippi  river,  comprised  within  the  region  to  which 
we  confine  our  remarks. 

In  descending  from  St.  Louis,  the  traveler  is  at  once 
struck  with  the  magnitude  and  boisterous  character  of  the 
stream  which  has  been  so  appropriately  called,  the  Father 


the  river  Mississippi.  47 

of  waters.  The  current  is  powerful  and  impetuous.  The 
water,  loaded  at  all  seasons  with  particles  of  white  clay, 
carries  upon  its  discolored  surface,  the  evidence  of  the 
violence  which  it  is  continually  committing  upon  its 
shores.  The  torrent  itself,  has  always  an  angry  appear- 
ance— boiling  up  or  whirling  round  in  eddies,  and  foam- 
ing, and  lashing  the  shore,  as  it  rushes  along.  On  the 
Missouri  side,  a  large  portion  of  the  country  is  high  and 
broken,  and  the  river  often  sweeps  along  the  rocky  bases 
of  abrupt  hills — behind  which  are  the  regions  of  lead  and 
iron.  Between  these  elevations  are  large  tracts  of  alluvial 
bottom  lands,  which  predominate  on  the  Dlinois  side, 
whose  shore  presents  an  almost  unbroken  line  of  forest 
trees,  extending  their  luxuriant  foliage  to  the  water's  edge. 
The  low,  ragged,  broken  banks,  are  subject  to  continual 
change — accumulating  at  one  point,  while  at  another  they 
are  undermined,  precipitating  masses  of  earth  and  im- 
mense trees,  into  the  headlong  torrent,  to  be  whirled  in 
its  eddies,  or  planted  in  its  navigable  channels. 

Almost  midway  between  St.  Louis,  and  the  mouth  of 
the  Ohio,  masses  of  limestone  rock  are  seen  on  either 
side,  which,  though  now  unconnected,  have  the  appear- 
ance of  having  once  formed  a  continuous  ridge,  crossing 
the  general  course  of  the  river  in  an  oblique  direction. 
It  has  been  suggested  that  a  cataract,  as  mighty  as  that 
of  Niagara,  may  once  have  existed  at  this  spot.  If  such 
was  ever  the  fact,  the  barrier  has  now  been  worn  down 
to  the  general  level  of  the  channel  of  the  river.  But 
there  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  such  obstruction  ever 
existed  at  this  place,  as  the  surface  of  the  plain,  on  the 
Illinois  side  of  the  river,  is  such  as  to  give  a  decisive 
negative  to  the  supposition ;  for  the  river,  if  obstructed 
here,  would  have  flowed  over  the  low  ground  on  that 
side,  instead  of  being  dammed  up  at  this  point.  The 
stream  thus  confined,  is  narrower  here  than  above  or  be- 
low, and    in    crossing    the    rocks,   its    course    suddenly 


48  THE    RIVER    MISSISSIPPI. 

changes  to  a  direction  nearly  at  right  angles  with  that  of 
the  ridge. 

Approaching  from  above,  we  first  discover  the  ridge 
throwing  out  a  bold  promontory  into  the  stream  on  the 
Illinois  shore,  on  the  extreme  point  of  which,  is  a  large 
rounded  mass  of  rock,  50  or  60  feet  in  height,  shaped 
like  an  oven,  and  thence  termed  the  Devil's  Bake-oven. 
A  low  neck  of  land  connects  this  with  a  range  of  perpen- 
dicular rocks,  which  frown  in  rugged  precipices  over  the 
stream,  and  whose  summits  are  beautifully  crowned  with 
vegetation.  As  the  current  sweeps  abruptly  round  this 
cape,  another  promontory  is  seen  jutting  out  from  the 
opposite  shore.  Against  this  the  whole  force  of  the  cur- 
rent beats  with  fearful  velocity,  and  by  its  attrition,  has 
worn  it  away  until  a  large  fragment  has  been  separated, 
and  left  standing  in  solitary  grandeur  in  the  midst  of  the 
waves.  This  is  the  Grand  Tower.  Its  height  may  be 
50  feet,  and  its  diameter  about  the  same.  Its  contour  is 
remarkably  exact  and  symmetrical,  forming  a  column  as 
nearly  circular  as  if  its  proportions  had  been  marked  out 
by  the  hand  of  art.  The  sides  are  nearly  perpendicular, 
but  the  different  strata  distinctly  marked  out.  The  whole 
has  the  appearance  of  a  regular  column,  whose  height  is 
equal  to  its  diameter.  The  top  is  flat,  and  supports  a 
stratum  of  soil,  which  gives  birth  to  a  short,  but  rich 
growth,  of  trees  and  shrubs. 

In  our  early  history,  this  was  a  noted  spot.  The  river 
boats,  which  before  the  application  of  steam,  were  pro- 
pelled up  the  stream  with  difficulty,  by  human  labor, 
were  unable  to  ascend  this  rapid  pass  with  oars  or  poles. 
Not  only  was  the  current  too  strong  for  this  operation, 
but  the  danger  of  being  dashed  against  the  rocks,  was 
imminent.  The  only  way  to  surmount  these  obstacles 
was,  to  drag  the  boat  round  the  cape  on  the  Illinois  side, 
by  means  of  ropes.  To  effect  this  object,  it  was  necessary 
for  a  portion  of  the  crew  to  land,  and  an  opportunity  was 


THE    RIVER    MISSISSIPPI.  49 

offered  to  the  Indians  to  attack  them,  when  the  prospects 
of  resistance  or  of  flight,  were  equally  hopeless.  Here 
then  they  formed  their  ambuscades,  and  many  a  crew 
was  slain  at  this  spot,  to  gratify  the  savage  lust  for  plun- 
der and  revenge,  while  many  boats  were  wrecked  by  the 
violence  of  the  waves. 

These  dangers  exist  now  only  in  tradition.  The  Indi- 
ans have  retired,  and  our  own  industrious  citizens  inhabit 
these  shores ;  while  the  introduction  of  steamboats  has 
obviated  the  dangers  of  navigation,  and  rendered  this  spot 
as  safe  as  any  other.  When  we  behold  the  steam  vessel 
slowly  and  majestically  overcoming  the  mighty  current, 
riding  along  in  perfect  safety,  and  then  turn  our  eyes  to 
the  surges  which  are  beating  against  the  rocks  and  send- 
ing up  their  sheets  of  white  foam  into  the  air,  we  cannot 
but  acknowledge  the  deep  debt  of  gratitude,  which  our 
country  owes  to  the  memory  of  Fulton.  And  when  we 
behold  this  grand  and  durable  tower,  so  graceful  and  so 
appropriate  in  its  form,  so  appositely  placed  in  the  midst 
of  scenes,  calculated  to  awaken  respect  for  the  genius, 
and  gratitude  for  the  "services,  of  Fulton,  we  are  induced 
to  hope  that  a  monument,  to  the  fame  of  this  illustrious 
citizen  will  be  erected  upon  this  natural  pedestal. 

The  deviVs  tea  table,  and  other  appurtenances  of  the 
dominion  of  his  Satanic  majesty,  are  found  in  this  neigh- 
borhood. The  cornice  rocks,  are  great  curiosities.  The 
perpendicular  sides  of  the  limestone  precipices,  have  been 
worn  by  the  water  into  regular  shapes,  and  in  some 
places,  a  continuous  formation  resembling  a  handsome 
cornice  work,  maybe  seen,  overhanging  the  cliffs,  whose 
sides  represent  columns,  and  other  architectural  devices. 

The  upper  Mississippi  is  a  much  more  beautiful  river 
than  it  is  generally  believed  to  be.  In  richness,  beauty, 
and  variety  of  landscape,  it  far  surpasses  the  Ohio ;  and 
we  cannot  conceive  why  the  French,  who  knew  both, 
should    have  called  the   latter  la  belle  in  preference    to 

E 


50  THE    RIVER    MISSISSIPPI. 

the  former,  unless,  indeed,  they  considered  that  it  would 
have  been  a  solecism  in  language  to  have  made  a  belle  out 
of  the  Father  of  streams.  For  the  first  thirty  miles  above 
St.  Louis,  the  country,  although  extremely  rich  and  valu- 
able, is  not  interesting  in  its  appearance.  Within  that 
distance,  the  Missouri  river  comes  in  on  the  one  hand, 
and  the  Illinois  on  the  other  ;  and  after  passing  the  latter, 
the  shores  become  attractive. 

The  whole  character  of  the  river  is  changed,  after  pass- 
ing the  mouth  of  the  Missouri.  Above  that,  the  Miss- 
issippi is  a  clear  stream,  with  a  strong,  but  smooth 
current.  Instead  of  the  low  alluvial  banks,  which  are 
continually  accumulating  at  one  spot,  and  falling  in  at 
another,  as  is  the  case  upon  the  lower  Mississippi,  here 
are  bold  and  beautiful  shores,  such  as  no  other  river  that 
I  have  ever  seen,  can  boast.  On  the  Illinois  side,  we 
now  behold  a  range  of  tall  bluffs,  rising  perpendicularly 
from  the  water's  edge,  to  the  height  of  from  one  to  two 
hundred  feet,  and  faced  with  a  solid  bed  of  limestone. 

In  looking  at  these  bluffs,  the  imagination  readily  sug- 
gests the  idea,  that  the  river  has  once  flowed  upon  a  level 
with  their  summits,  and  has  cut  its  present  channel,  by 
the  action  of  its  current.     This  is  doubtless  in  part  true, 
in  reference  to  this,  as   to  all  other  rivers.     But  the  ap- 
pearances which  cause  this  conjecture  may  be  accounted 
for  much  more  easily.     Th?  horizontal  lines  and  projec- 
tions, resembling  long  rows  of  cornice,  which  are  noticed 
by  the  voyager  far   above  his   head,  have  doubtless  been 
produced    by  the  trickling  of  the  rain  water  down    the 
sides  of  the  precipice.     The  strata  being  horizontal,  and 
of  different  degrees  of  hardness,  the  particles  have  been 
removed   most  rapidly  from  the   softer  parts,  and  with  a 
regularity  corresponding  with  the  formation  of  the  rock. 
The  escarpments  or  steep  sides  of  the  rock,  exhibit  no 
angular  shapes,  but  are  smoothed  and  rounded   as  if  by 
the  long  continued  action  of  a  powerful  current  of  water. 


THE    RIVER    MISSISSIPPI.  51 

Numerous  holes  appear  on  the  face  of  the  solid  rock, 
sometimes  shallow  and  irregular,  but  often  deep  and 
cylindrical ;  they  are  precisely  such  as  geologists  call 
pot-holes,  and  are  far  above  the  present  high  watermark. 
Every  projection  is  rounded,  and  every  cavitv  is  globular, 
and  so  regular  has  been  this  operation,  as  to  have  pro- 
duced in  some  instances,  a  series  of  columnar  formations, 
which  display  much  of  the  symmetry  of  art,  and  ex- 
tending from  the  base  to  the  summit  of  the  rock,  serin 
like  immense  buttresses  intended  to  strengthen  and  support 
these  massive  walls.  The  peaks  seem  to  have  been  long 
since  decomposed,  and  have  mouldered  down  into  grace- 
fully rounded  hills,  covered  with  vegetation.  These 
summits  are  on  a  level  with  the  plane  of  the  country. 

After  passing  a  few  miles  further,  these  vertical  declivi- 
ties are  no  longer  presented  to  the  eye.  We  now  see  the 
crystal  stream  beating  against  a  bank  of  gravel,  from 
which  the  shores  rise  with  a  gradual  slope.  In  a  few 
instances  the  hills  rise  boldly  from  the  water's  edge,  or 
push  out  their  steep  promontories,  so  as  to  change  the  di- 
rection of  the  river  ;  but  more  generally  we  see  on  either 
bank  a  series  of  graceful  slopes,  swelling  and  sinking  as 
far  as  the  eye  can  reach.  The  prairie,  for  the  most  part, 
extends  to  the  water,  and  no  pen  can  describe  the  singu- 
lar and  captivating  effect  of  such  scenery.  Imagine  a 
stream  of  a  mile  in  width,  whose  waters  are  as  transpa- 
rent as  those  of  the  mountain  spring,  flowing  over  beds 
of  rock  or  gravel.  Fancy  the  prairie  commencing  at  the 
water's  edge — a  natural  meadow  covered  with  grass  and 
flowers,  rising  with  a  gentle  slope,  for  miles,  so  that  in 
the  vast  panorama,  thousands  of  acres  are  exposed  to  the 
eye.  The  prospect  is  bounded  by  a  range  of  low  hills, 
which  >miu,  times  approach  the  river,  and  again  recede, 
and  whose  summits,  which  are  seen  gently  waving  along 
the  horizon,  form  the  level  of  the  adjacent  country.  The 
prairies   are  not  flat,  but  composed  of  a  succession  of 


52  THE    RIVER    MISSISSIPPI. 

swells,  and  the  idea  impressed  upon  the  mind  by  the 
whole  conformation  of  the  surface  is,  that  the  level  plane 
of  the  country  once  terminated  on  the  brink  of  the  river, 
that  the  channel  of  the  latter  has  been  for  ages  increasing 
in  depth,  and  that  the  vales  which  we  now  see  receding 
from  it,  were  at  first  mere  ravines,  washed  by  the  torrents 
of  rain  water,  which  have  been  gradually  widened  and 
rounded  off  by  beating  rains,  into  their  present  harmony 
of  outline.  The  timber  is  scattered  in  groves  and  strips, 
the  whole  country  being  one  vast  illimitable  prairie,  orna- 
mented by  small  collections  of  trees.  Sometimes  the 
woodland  extends  along  the  river  for  several  miles  con- 
tinuously— sometimes  it  is  seen  stretching  in  a  wide  belt 
far  off  into  the  country,  and  marking  the  course  of  some 
tributary  stream,  and  sometimes  in  vast  groves,  of  several 
miles  in  extent,  standing  alone  like  islands,  in  this  wilder- 
ness of  grass  and  flowers.  But  more  often  we  see  the 
single  tree  without  a  companion  near,  or  the  little  clump 
composed  of  a  few  dozen  oaks  or  elms  ;  and  not  unfre- 
quently,  hundreds  of  acres  embellished  with  a  kind  of 
open  woodland,  and  exhibiting  the  appearance  of  a  splen- 
did park,  decorated  with  skill  and  care  by  the  hand  of 
taste.  Here  we  behold  the  beautiful  lawn  enriched  with 
flowers,  and  studded  with  trees,  which  are  so  dispersed 
about  as  not  to  intercept  the  prospect — standing  singly, 
so  as  not  to  shade  the  ground,  and  occasionally  collected 
in  clusters,  while  now  and  then  the  shade  deepens  into 
the  gloom  of  the  forest,  or  opens  into  long  vistas  and 
spacious  plains,  destitute  of  tree  or  shrub. 

We  doubt  whether  there  can  be  found,  on  the  globe,  a 
tract  of  country  to  compare  with  this.  Commencing  a 
little  north  of  St.  Louis,  and  extending  two  hundred  miles 
from  east  to  west,  and  the  same  distance  north,  is  to  be 
found  the  most  extensive  tract  of  rich  land  in  the  world. 
Within  these  bounds,  the  country  is  nearly  all  as  captivat- 
ing to  the  eye  as  that  which  we  have  described.     Scarcely 


THE    RIVER    MISSISSIPPI.  53 

any  of  the  land  is  subject  to  inundation.  On  the  contrary, 
although  incalculably  rich,  and  sufficiently  level  for  cul 
tivation,  it  is  a  high,  rolling,  champaign  country,  and  the 
shores  of  the  streams  are  mostly  bold.  Healthy  it  mustbe. 
At  the  foot  of  the  upper  rapids  is  one  of  the  most  pic- 
turesque scenes  that  we  recollect  to  have  beheld.  On 
the  western  side,  a  series  of  slopes  are  seen  rising  one 
above  another  for  a  considerable  distance,  until  the  back 
ground  is  terminated,  by  a  chain  of  beautifully  rounded 
hills,  over  the  whole  of  which  trees  are  thinly  scattered, 
On  the  other  side  of  the  river,  is  a  broad  flat  plain  of  rich 
alluvion,  several  miles  in  length,  and  more  than  a  mile  in 
breadth,  and  terminated  by  a  range  of  wooded  hills.  On 
this  prairie  is  a  small  village  of  the  Sauk  and  Fox  Indians, 
composed  of  rude  lodges,  scattered  carelessly  about. 
Their  chief  village  was  a  few  miles  in  the  interior ;  and 
it  was  for  the  possession  of  this  beautiful  country,  that  the 
followers  of  Black  Hawk  contended,  in  the  recent  war 
which  resulted  in  such  disastrous  consequences  to  that 
ill  fated  tribe.  In  the  front  of  the  landscape,  and  presents 
ing  its  most  prominent  feature,  is  Rock  Island ;  the 
western  shore  of  which,  is  washed  by  the  main  current 
of  the  Mississippi,  while  the  eastern  side  is  separated 
from  the  main  land  by  a  narrow  channel,  which  is  forda- 
ble  in  low  water.  The  southern  point  of  the  island  is 
elevated  about  40  feet  above  the  ordinary  level  of  the 
river,  and  is  supported  by  a  perpendicular  parapet  of  rock. 
Here  stands  Fort  Armstrong,  a  strong  and  very  neat 
work,  garrisoned  by  two  companies  of  United  States' 
troops  ;  and  here  will  be  one  of  the  most  desirable  sites 
for  a  town,  upon  the  upper  Mississippi.  Rock  river, 
which  enters  into  the  Mississippi  a  few  miles  below  the 
island.,  is  a  rapid  stream,  which  may  be  easily  rendered 
navigable ;  and  which  affords  abundant  water  power  for 
the  propulsion  of  any  kind  of  machinery.  The  whole  of 
this  region   is  fruitful,  healthy,  and  agreeable  to  the  eye, 

e3 


54  SURFACE    OF    THE    COUNTRY. 

Here  the  wild  honeysuckle  nourishes  luxuriantly  ;  thous- 
ands of  acres  are  covered  with  the  wild  gooseberry, 
plum,  grape,  mulberry,  and  other  indigenous  fruits,  and 
the  soil  teems  with  the  richest  beauties  and  bounties  of 
Providence. 

Above  this  point  the  scenery  becomes  occasionally  more 
hilly  and  diversified,  but  the  same  general  character  marks 
its  features  as  far  up  as  the  falls  of  St.  Anthony,  and  we 
shall  only  refer  the  reader  to  the  volumes  detailing  the 
two  expeditions  of  Colonel  Long  and  his  scientific  com- 
panions, whose  remarks,  so  far  as  we  have  trod  over  the 
same  ground,  we  have  found  singularly  accurate,  and  can 
recommend  safely,  to  those  who  desire  to  make  more 
minute  researches,  than  those  for  which  our  own  pages 
will  furnish  the  materials. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

General  Surface  of  the  Country. 

The  traveler  who  visits  our  Valley  for  the  first  time, 
advancing  from  the  east,  to  the  Ohio  river,  and  thence 
proceeding  westward,  is  struck  with  the  magnificence  of 
the  vegetation  which  clothes  the  whole  surface.  The 
vast  and  gloomy  grandeur  of  the  forest,  the  gigantic  size 
and  venerable  antiquity  of  the  trees,  the  rankness  of  the 
weeds,  the  luxuriance  and  variety  of  the  underbrush,  the 
long  vines  that  climb  to  the  tops  of  the  tallest  branches, 
the  parasites  that  hang  in  clusters  from  the  boughs,  the 
brilliancy  of  the  foliage,  and  the  exuberance  of  the  fruit, 
all  show  a  land  teeming  with  vegetable  life.  The  forest 
is  seen  in  its  majesty ;  the  pomp  and  pride  of  the  wilder- 
ness is  here.  Here  is  nature  unspoiled,  and  silence  un- 
disturbed. A  few  years  ago,  this  impression  was  more 
striking   than  at   present;  for  now,  farms,  villages,  and 


SCENERY.  55 

even  a  few  large  towns  air  scattered  over  this  region, 
diversifying  it*  landscapes,  and  breaking  in  upon  the 
characteristic  wildness  of  its  scenery.  Still  there  are 
wide  tracts  remaining  in  a  state  of  nature,  and  displaying 
all  the  savage  luxuriance  which  first  attracted  the  pioneer; 
and  upon  a  general  survey,  its  features  present  at  this  day, 
to  one  accustomed  only  to  thickly  populated  countries, 
the  same  freshness  of  beauty,  and  the  same  immensity, 
though  rudeness  of  outline,  which  we  have  always  been 
accustomed  to  associate  with  the  idea  of  a  western  land- 
scape. 

I  know  of  nothing  more  splendid  than  a  forest  of  the 
west,  standing  in  its  original  integrity,  adorned  with  the 
exuberant  beauties  of  a  powerful  vegetation,  and  crowned 
with  the  honors  of  a  venerable  age.  There  is  a  grandeur 
in  the  immense  size  of  the  great  trees — a  richness  of 
coloring  in  the  foliage,  superior  to  any  thing  that  is 
known  in  corresponding  latitudes — a  wildness  and  an  un- 
broken stillness  that  attests  the  absence  of  man — above  all, 
there  is  a  vastness,  a  boundless  extent,  an  uninterrupted 
continuity  of  shade,  which  prevents  the  attention  from 
beinff  distracted,  and  allows  the  mind  to  fill  itself,  and  the 
imagination  to  realize  the  actual  presence,  and  true  char- 
acter, of  that  which  had  burst  upon  it  like  a  vivid  dream. 

This  effect  is  the  more  uniform  since  the  rivers  have 
become  the  great  avenues  of  commerce,  and  the  explora- 
tions of  the  majority  of  those  who  travel,  are  confined  to 
their  wooded  shores.  Here  the  forest  is  most  abundant, 
and  the  growth  of  the  tree  the  most  gigantic ;  and  as  the 
steamboat  paddles  her  way  rapidly  through  the  water, 
the  spectator  beholds,  for  mile  after  mile,  a  continuous 
border  of  unbroken  woodland,  alternating  with  the  village, 
or  the  solitary  farm,  which  is  occasionally  presented  to 
his  view.  In  no  instance  does  the  prairie, — the  natural 
meadow,  clothed  with  grass — appear  upon  the  margin  of 
the  Ohio,  or  of  any  of  its  tributaries  ;  but  invariably  the 


56  SCENERY. 

rich  alluvion  lands  that  skirt  those  streams,  and  the  low 
rounded  hills,  are  shaded  by  a  prolific  growth  of  heavy 
timber. 

But  when  the  traveler  forsakes  the  valley  of  the  Ohio, 
and  advancing  westward,  ascends  to  the  level  of  that 
great  plain,  which  constitutes  the  general  surface  of  this 
extensive  region,  he  finds  himself  in  an  open  champaign 
country— in  a  wilderness  of  broad  plains,  covered  with  a 
rich  sward  of  grass,  and  destitute  of  trees.  The  transition 
is  as  sudden,  as  it  is  complete.  Behind  him  are  the  most 
gigantic  productions  of  the  forest — before  him  are  the 
lowly,  the  verdant,  the  delicate,  inhabitants  of  the  lawn  ; 
behind  him  are  gloom  and  chill,  before  him  are  sunlight 
and  graceful  beauty.  He  has  passed  the  rocky  cliff,  and 
the  savage  mountain  pass,  where  the  den  of  the  rattle- 
snake is  concealed, — the  marshes  that  send  up  foetid 
steams  of  desolating  miasma, — and  the  canebrake  where 
the  bear  and  the  panther  lurk ;  and  has  reached  the  pas- 
ture where  the  deer  is  feeding,  and  the  prairie-flower 
displays  its  diversified  hues.  He  has  seen  the  wilder- 
ness in  all  its  savage  pomp,  and  gloomy  grandeur,  arrayed 
in  the  terrors  of  barbarian  state  ;  but  now  beholds  it  in  its 
festal  garb,  reposing  in  peace,  and  surrounded  by  light, 
gayety,  and  beauty. 

This  distinction  is  not  imaginary ;  no  observing  man 
can  pass  from  one  part  of  this  region  to  another,  without 
remarking  the  natural  antithesis  to  which  we  allude  ;  and 
that  mind  would  be  defective  in  its  perceptions  of  the 
sublime  and  beautiful,  which  did  not  feel,  as  well  as  see, 
the  effects  of  this  singular  contrast.  There  is  in  the  ap- 
pearance of  one  of  our  primitive  forests,  a  gloomy  wild- 
ness,  that  throws  a  cast  of  solemnity  over  the  feelings  , 
a  something  in  the  wide  spread  solitude  which  suggests 
to  the  traveler  that  he  is  far  from  the  habitations  of  man 
— alone,  in  the  companionship  of  his  own  thoughts,  and 
the   presence    of  his  God.     But   the   prairie  landscape 


KIVER    SCENERY.  57 

awakens  a  different  train  of  thought.  Here  light  pre- 
dominates instead  of  shade,  and  a  variety  of  hue  instead 
of  a  wearisome  exuberance  and  monotony  of  verdure  ; 
while  the  extent  of  the  open  scene  which  is  spread  he  fore 
the  vision,  allows  the  eye  to  roam  abroad,  over  an  endless 
diversity  of  agreeable  objects. 

The  same  remarkable  contrast  is  equally  striking  in  the 
contour  of  the  surface — in  the  difference  between  the 
broken,  and  the  level  districts.  The  former  lie  chiefly 
along  the  Allegheny  mountains,  and  are  composed  of  the 
lateral  ridges  which  extend  from  the  principal  chain  into 
the  valley  ;  the  latter  is  the  common  formation  of  a  great 
portion  of  this  extensive  country.  If  the  traveler  looks 
down  from  the  western  pinnacles  of  the  Allegheny,  he 
beholds  a  region  beautifully  diversified  with  hill  and  dale, 
and  intersected  by  rapid  streams,  tumbling  over  ledges 
of  rock,  or  beds  of  gravel.  In  western  Pennsylvania, 
Virginia,  Kentucky,  and  Tennessee,  he  finds  every  varie- 
ty of  scenic  beauty — the  hill,  the  valley,  and  the  plain, 
the  rocky  cliff,  the  secluded  dell,  the  clear  fountain,  and 
the  rivulet  pitching  headlong  from  vale  to  vale. 

The  rivers  have  each  their  characteristic  scenery.  The 
Monongahela  winding  through  a  mountainous  country, 
overhung  with  precipices,  and  shaded  by  heavy  forests, 
with  a  current  sufficiently  gentle  to  be  easily  navigable 
by  steam  boats,  has  its  peculiar  features,  which  are  in- 
stantly lost  when  the  traveler  has  passed  on  to  the  bosom 
of  the  Ohio.  The  Allegheny  differs  from  both  ;  more 
turbulent  than  either,  it  has  not  the  majesty  of  the  one, 
nor  the  romantic  beauty  of  the  other.  The  winding  course, 
and  rugged  scenery  of  the  Ohio  between  Pittsburgh  and 
Wheeling,  impress  the  beholder  as  strikingly  wild  and 
picturesque  ;  below  the  latter  place  the  features  of  the 
landscape  become  softened,  the  hills  recede  farther  from 
the  river,  are  less  lofty,  and  more  rounded  ;  and  again, 
after  passing   Louisville,  these  elevations  are  seen    less 


58  RIVER    SCENERY. 

frequently,  and  gradually  melt  away,  until  the  river  be- 
comes margined  by  low  shores,  and  a  continuous  line  of 
unbroken  forest.  But  if  we  leave  the  gentle  current  of  the 
Ohio,  and  ascend  the  Kentucky  or  the  Cumberland,  we 
again  find  rapid  streams,  overhung  with  precipices,  and 
a  country  abounding  in  the  diversities  of  bold  and  roman- 
tic landscape.  Here  may  be  seen  the  rapid  current 
foaming  and  eddying  over  beds  of  rock,  and  the  tall  peak 
towering  above  in  solitary  grandeur.  Here  the  curious 
tourist  may  penetrate  the  gloom  of  the  cavern,  may  clam- 
ber over  precipices,  or  refresh  himself  from  the  crystal 
fountain  bursting  from  the  bosom  of  the  rock.  But  he 
will  find  every  hill  clad  with  timber,  every  valley  teeming 
with  vegetation — even  the  crevices  of  the  limestone  para- 
pets giving  sustenance  to  trees  and  bushes.  Green  River, 
though  lying  between  these  is  essentially  different  from 
both  :  though  often  hemmed  in  by  hills,  its  current  is 
gentle,  and  its  navigable  facilities  extended  far  into  the 
country  through  which  it  flows. 

The  Kenhawa  river  deserves  a  separate  mention.  From 
its  junction  with  the  Ohio  at  Point  Pleasant,  the  field  of 
a  battle  in  which  the  characteristic  valor  of  Virginia  was 
most  conspicuously  displayed,  the  traveler  ascends  a  val- 
ley of  little  width,  through  which  meanders  a  small  and 
gentle  river.  A  narrow  belt  of  rich  bottom  land,  divided 
into  highly  productive  farms,  is  seen  on  one  or  the  other 
side  of  the  river,  and  sometimes  on  both — beyond  which 
is  a  range  of  high,  precipitous,  and  rocky  hills.  At  a 
distance  of  about  sixty  miles  from  the  mouth,  by  the 
meanders  of  the  river,  commences  the  richest  salt  region 
in  the  United  States.  It  extends  about  ten  miles  along 
the  river;  and  within  that  distance  there  are  eighty  or 
ninety  separate  establishments  for  the  manufacture  of  salt, 
thickly  scattered  along  the  shore  on  either  side  of  the 
stream.  A  large  portion  of  the  salt  used  in  the  west,  has 
been   furnished  from  these  furnaces,  which  have  proved 


MOUNTAIN    SCENERY.  59 

extremely  lucrative  to  the  proprietors.  Although  they 
have  been  in  operation  for  many  years,  the  supply  of 
brine  remains  undiminished,  and  the  neighboring  hills 
furnish  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  bituminous  eoal,  lying 
in  thick  horizontal  Strata,  in  sight  of  the  furnaces,  and  in 
positions  ekvated  a  few  feet  above  them. 

Punning  the  river  a  few  miles  further,  we  arrive  at  a 
cataract  formed  by  a  ledge  of  rock  which  crosses  its  chan- 
nel, and  which  forms  a  curious  and  beautiful  scene.  Im- 
mediately beyond  this  point,  the  landscape  becomes  grand 
and  romantic,  combining  the  wildest  and  most  splendid 
features  of  scenic  attraction.  At  the  spot  where  the  Gau- 
ley  and  New  rivers  unite,  and  merge  their  names,  in  that 
of  the  Kenhawa,  we  reach  the  foot  of  the  mountains, 
down  whose  precipitous  gorges  these  streams  are  seen 
rushing.  The  great  road  which  pursues  the  valley  of 
one  of  these  tributaries,  winding  with  its  sinuosities,  and 
for  the  most  part  hewed  out  of  the  sides  of  perpendicular 
parapets  of  rock,  affords  a  series  of  the  most  extensive 
and  sublime  prospects.  After  toiling  up  an  ascent  of 
several  miles,  passing  over  deep  ravines,  and  often  turn- 
ing the  angle  of  a  projecting  cliff,  along  whose  edge  the 
traveler  passes  with  an  involuntary  shudder,  as  he  gazes 
on  the  perilous  depth  below,  we  arrive  at  the  celebrated 
and  magnificent  spot  called  the  Hawk's  Nest.  This  is 
the  highest  peak  of  this  part  of  the  chain  of  mountains. 
It  is  not  seen  from  the  road,  which  at  this  point  has  left 
the  steep  side  of  the  chasm,  and  passes  for  a  short  dis- 
tance along  a  ridge  shaded  on  either  side  by  forest  trees. 
The  stage  is  stopped,  in  order  that  the  natural  curiosity 
of  the  traveler  may  be  indulged  in  beholding  a  scene  of 
uncommon  grandeur.  A  small  footpath  leading  at  right 
angles  is  pointed  out  to  him,  pursuing  which  tor  a  few 
yards,  he  suddenly  funis  himself  Standing  on  the  project- 
ing ledge  of  a  precipice,  from  whose  brink  he  may  cast  a 
stone  into  the  New  river,  which  foams  over  a  bed  of  rock 


60  SURFACE    OF    THE    COUNTRY. 

two  thousand  feet  below  him.  The  landscape  is  perfect 
— its  extent,  its  grandeur,  its  variety,  its  romantic  char- 
acter, and  the  splendid  beauty  of  its  details,  are  incom- 
parably magnificent.  The  sublimity  of  the  scene,  is  not 
less  than  that  of  the  Niagara  cataract ;  its  gigantic  out- 
lines fill  the  beholder  with  wonder,  while  the  dizzy  height 
at  which  he  stands,  on  a  narrow  ledge,  projected  over  a 
gulph  of  such  awful  magnitude,  causes  a  sensation  of  ter- 
ror to  mingle  with  the  thrilling  sensations  of  astonishment 
and  delight  that  fill  his  bosom. 

The  toils  and  perils  of  a  journey  over  the  mountains 
are  amply  compensated  by  a  view  of  this  fine  scene,  to 
which  nothing  of  the  kind  can  be  superior.  It  is  on  the 
road  which  leads  from  Guyandot  on  the  Ohio,  by  the 
Virginia  springs,  to  Fredericksburg  in  Virginia.  The 
road  itself  is  a  clay  turnpike,  nearly  impassable  in  the 
wet  season,  but  in  the  summer  superior  to  any  other 
by  which  the  Allegheny  ridge  is  crossed,  and  which  af- 
fords infinitely  the  most  agreeable  route  for  an  excursion 
from  east  to  west  in  hot  weather. 

The  scenery  presented  on  the  western  shore  of  the 
Ohio,  is  altogether  different.  The  mountain  is  seen  no 
more ;  the  hill,  the  rock,  the  precipice,  and  the  limpid 
torrent  occur  but  seldom ;  and  although  in  Ohio  the 
change  is  not  so  marked,  as  in  the  more  western  states, 
the  traveler  as  he  wanders  successively  over  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Missouri,  and  the  vast  wilderness  beyond,  is  as- 
tonished at  the  immensity  of  the  great  plain,  the  regularity 
of  its  surface,  and  the  richness,  the  verdure,  and  the  beauty, 
of  its  wide  spread  meadows. 

Whatever  may  be  the  purpose  with  which  we  contem- 
plate the  region  now  under  review,  it  is  necessary  to  keep 
in  mind  this  important  diversity  of  surface  and  production. 
To  the  poet,  it  afibrds  the  most  picturesque  and  striking 
contrasts  of  scenery  ;  to  the  inquirer  after  truth,  it  pre- 
sents in  an  imposing  manner,  the  extraordinary  capabili- 


SURFACE  OF  THE  COUNTRY.  61 

ties  of  a  country,  which  embrace!  such  varied  resources 
for  agriculture  and  trade,  and  possesses  so  happy  an 
adaptation,  to  the  different  pursuits  of  life,  and  products 
of  industry.  To  all  it  must  suggest  how  defective  and 
totally  worthless  are  the  accounts  of  those,  who  having 
visited  one  part  of  this  country,  assume  to  describe  the 
whole  ;  whose  personal  observations  have  been  confined 
to  the  margins  of  the  great  rivers,  while  they  have  no 
knowledge  of  the  prairies,  nor  can  imagine  in  their  wild- 
est dreams,  the  extent,  the  fertility,  the  peculiar  confor- 
mation, and  singular  agricultural  advantages,  of  these 
interesting  plains,  and  are  equally  unacquainted  with  the 
geology,  the  resources,  and  interior  channels  of  inter- 
course, of  this  broad  land. 

There  are  some  other  distinctions  which  are  necessarily 
to  be  considered,  and  to  which  reference  should  be  had, 
whenever  general  remarks  are  made,  for  they  will  suggest 
the  occasions  where  it  may  be  necessary  to  make  excep- 
tions. In  western  Pennsylvania,  and  Virginia,  the  toils 
of  the  pioneer  have  in  a  great  measure  ceased,  the  log  hut 
has  disappeared,  and  commodious  farm  houses  of  framed 
wood,  or  stone,  have  been  reared.  Agriculture  has  as- 
sumed a  permanent  character,  and  is  prosecuted  with 
steadiness  and  method.  In  Pennsylvania,  particularly, 
the  immense  treasures  of  iron  and  coal,  and  the  great 
manufacturing  ability  of  Pittsburgh,  has  given  a  peculiar 
character  to  the  industry,  and  has  caused  the  spirit  of 
commerce  and  enterprise,  to  be  widely  diffused  among 
the  farmers.  Great  expenditures  have  been  made  upon 
roads  and  canals,  and  the  traveler  sees  many  symptoms 
of  an  active  and  prosperous  traffic. 

Ohio  has  grown  more  rapidly,  and  the  new  is  here 
seen  singularlv  mixed  with  the  old — neat  villages,  exten- 
sive  farms,  and  valuable  improvements,  alternating  with 
rude  hamlets,  solitary  log  houses,  or  masses  of  unbroken 
forest.     The  appearances  of  commercial  and  agricultural 

F 


62  SURFACE    OF    THE    COUNTRY. 

activity,  are  of  the  most  cheering  character,  the  actual 
improvement  which  is  going  forward  in  every  department 
of  life  and  business,  is  great, — yet  the  exterior  develope- 
ment,  as  presented  to  the  eye  of  the  stranger,  is  new, 
rough,  and  uninviting.  The  beauty  of  nature  has  been 
destroyed,  and  the  embellishments  of  art  have  not  been 
supplied.  Wealth  and  labor  have  been  employed  with 
great  energy  and  success,  in  reducing  the  wild  land  into 
cultivated  fields,  in  bringing  the  resources  of  the  country 
into  operation,  and  in  providing  the  comforts  of  life  ;  but 
few  expenditures  have  been  made  for  ornament  or  luxury. 
To  him  who  passes  rapidly  through  the  land,  and  glances 
only  at  the  rude  exterior,  every  thing  appears  crude  and 
unformed,  but  there  is  notwithstanding  an  admirable  sys- 
tem in  the  industry,  as  well  as  in  the  social  and  moral 
condition  of  the  people.  The  skeleton  of  a  regularly 
organized  civil  society,  with  all  its  strong  muscles  and 
ligaments  is  vigorously  developed,  and  those  parts  only 
are  wanting,  which  are  necessary  to  give  grace  and  full- 
ness to  the  outline. 

Passing  westwardly  through  Indiana,  Illinois,  and 
Missouri,  there  will  be  found  still  less  appearance  of  im- 
provement. In  some  parts  of  Indiana,  the  people  are 
treading  rapidly  in  the  footsteps  of  those  of  Ohio,  sub- 
stantial houses  have  been  built,  and  farms  have  been 
brought  into  a  high  state  of  culture.  But  generally  speak- 
ing the  settlers  in  these  states  continue  to  reside  in  their 
primitive  dwellings  ;  the  log  house,  and  the  rough  worm- 
fence,  are  the  chief  objects  of  human  construction  that 
meet  the  eye.  The  fields  are  rudely  tilled,  yet  yield 
abundant  harvests.  There  is  an  abundance,  even  to  pro- 
fusion, of  all  the  necessaries  of  life,  but  none  of  the  lux- 
uries, and  few  of  what  would  be  called  comforts,  by 
those  who  are  unaccustomed  to  the  habits  of  the  country. 
There  is  however  a  vast  deal  of  substantial  comfort,  and 
the   people    are    independent,  cheerful,  and   intelligent. 


SURFACE  OF  THE  COUNTRY.  63 

The  beauty  that  attracts  the  eye  in  this  region,  is  that  of 
nature,  and  is  found  in  the  wide  tracts  of  wilderness  that 
remain  untouched  by  the  axe  or  the  plough.  Such  is  the 
greater  part  of  the  country,  over  which  the  farms  are 
thinly  scattered,  and  where  the  cattle  still  roam  at  large 
through  the  woods  and  prairies,  as  in  the  days  of  the 
patriarchs.  A  large  proportion  of  the  people  of  these 
three  states,  partake  more  of  the  pastoral,  than  of  the 
agricultural  character.  They  belong  to  a  race  to  whom 
wealth  is  not  so  desirable  as  to  cause  them  to  seek  it  by 
hard  labor,  and  they  aim  at  nothing  beyond  a  competent 
support.  Their  numerous  domestic  animals,  ihat  ieed  in  the 
natural  pastures,  and  the  game  of  the  forest,  supply  them 
with  food  in  rich  abundance,  and  their  fields  are  careless- 
ly tilled,  because  the  produce  is  of  secondary  importance. 
But  when  we  cross  the  Ohio,  and  pass  through  Ken- 
tucky, we  find  a  different  state  of  society,  and  a  widely 
different  aspect  in  the  appearance  of  the  country.  In 
passing  from  Maysville  to  Lexington,  the  stage  rolls  over 
one  of  the  finest  Macadamised  roads  in  the  United  States. 
The  country  is  hilly,  but  moderately  fertile,  and  well 
improved,  until  we  reach  the  vicinity  of  Licking  river. 
The  agriculture  is  good,  the  houses  well  constructed,  and 
comfortable.  The  forming  stage  of  society  is  past,  and 
much  attention  is  paid  to  the  refinements  and  courtesies 
of  domestic  life.  On  approaching  Licking  river  a  wild 
and  sterile  tract  presents  itself,  extending  for  a  few  miles 
on  either  side  of  that  stream.  The  hills  are  abrupt, 
broken,  and  rocky,  the  soil  thin,  and  the  vegetation 
stinted.  The  rocks  are  overgrown  with  moss  and  lichens, 
and  instead  of  the  tall  timber  of  other  localities,  we  find 
a  straggling  and  dwarfish  growth  of  low  bushes.  Nothing 
can  be  more  dreary  than  this  sombre  landscape,  or  more 
strongly  contrasted  with  the  rich  and  cheerful  districts 
that  lie  around  in  every  direction.  It  is  a  mineral  region, 
abounding  in   saline  impregnations,  and  to  this  cause  an 


64  SCENERY. 

acute  writer  attributes  the  appearances  which  we  have 
noticed.  Dr.  Yandell,  of  the  Lexington  Medical  school, 
remarks  :  "  At  one  time  the  hills,  which,  now  bare,  show 
as  wasted  skeletons,  must  have  had  a  covering  of  clay 
and  vegetable  mould,  for  the  country  in  every  direction, 
at  the  distance  of  a  few  miles,  is  rich,  and  clothed  in  lux- 
uriant vegetation.  It  is  well  known  that  the  first  adven- 
turers to  the  west,  found  it  abounding  in  every  species 
of  wild  game.  Deer,  elks,  and  buffaloes,  were  met  with 
in  numbers  altogether  incalculable.  These  animals  re- 
sorted in  vast  numbers  to  the  springs,  and  the  latter  came 
from  a  distance,  and  lingered  for  weeks  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. It  is  said  that  the  roads  which  they  made  in 
journeying  thither,  are  still  visible  at  this  distant  day. 
And  finally,  the  mastodon,  and  arctic  elephant,  we  may 
infer  from  the  osseous  remains  that  have  been  exhumed, 
were  among  the  ancient  visitors  at  these  watering  places. 
The  effect  of  such  a  concourse  of  animals  sojourning  for 
weeks  together  in  the  neighborhood,  and  feeding  upon 
the  shrubs,  herbaceous  plants,  and  such  limbs  of  trees  as 
were  in  their  reach,  bruising  and  lacerating  their  roots  in 
passing  to  and  fro,  must  have  been  in  time,  the  destruc- 
tion not  only  of  the  grass  and  more  tender  herbs,  but  of 
the  forests  themselves  ;  and  the  soil  thus  deprived  of  its 
necessary  support,  would  be  ultimately  washed  by  rains 
into  the  streams  and  valleys.  This  cause,  of  course  has 
long  ceased  to  operate,  and  with  its  cessation,  a  new 
change  has  commenced.  The  soil  is  again  in  a  process 
of  renewal,  and  the  sides  and  summits  of  the  hills  begin 
to  assume  an  appearance  of  verdure  and  life." 

Having  passed  through  this  region  of  sterility,  the  road 
to  Lexington  winds  through  an  open  champaign  country 
of  the  most  delightful  appearance.  The  heavy  forest, 
which  once  threw  its  deep  shade  over  the  lurking  Indian, 
has  been  cleared  away,  and  highly  cultivated  fields  adorn 
the  whole  of  the  wide  landscape.     The  surface   is  not 


SCENERY    IN    KENTUCKY.  65 

broken  by  hills,  nor  is  it  level, — but  of  that  beautifully 
rolling  or  undulating  character,  which  is,  above  all  others, 
the  most  pleasing  to  the  eye,  and  the  best  adapted  to  the 
purposes  of  husbandry.  Its  similarity,  in  this  respect, 
to  the  gracefully  waving  prairies  in  the  central  and  nor 
them  parts  of  Illinois  is  very  striking.  The  soil  is  of  the 
richest  kind,  and  the  improvements  not  only  substantial, 
but  elegant.  It  is  seldom  that  the  eye  of  the  traveler  is 
delighted  with  so  pleasing  a  combination  of  rural  beauty 
and  tasteful  embellishment.  The  dwellings  are  commo- 
dious and  comfortable  ;  most  of  them  are  very  superioi 
to  those  usually  inhabited  by  farmers,  while  many  are  the 
elegant  mansions  of  the  opulent  and  refined.  These  are 
surrounded  by  gardens  and  pleasure  grounds,  adorned 
with  trees  and  shrubs,  tastefully  disposed.  There  is 
a  something  substantial,  as  well  as  elegant,  in  the  resi- 
dence  of  a  farmer  of  this  part  of  Kentucky  ;  a  combina- 
tion of  taste,  neatness,  comfort,  and  abundance,  which  is 
singularly  interesting,  and  which  evinces  a  high  degree 
of  liberality  in  the  use  of  wealth,  as  well  as  great  industry 
in  its  production.  The  fields  are  extensive  and  well  cul- 
tivated. Not  a  spot  remains  in  its  pristine  state  of  wilder- 
ness ;  but  everywhere  the  hand  of  art  is  seen  to  have 
exerted  its  energies  with  an  unusual  vigor  and  felicity  of 
execution.  Every  foot  of  ground  has  been  adorned,  or 
rendered  productive.  The  woodland  pastures  which  are 
peculiar  to  this  section  of  country  are  remarkably  beauti- 
ful, giving  to  its  extensive  farms  an  unusual  degree  of 
elegance,  and  to  the  whole  character  of  the  scenery  an 
originality,  which  attracts  the  attention  of  the  most  casual 
observer,  while  it  fills  a  genuine  admirer  of  nature  with 
the  most  pleasurable  emotions.  This  agreeable  effect 
is  produced  by  a  simple  procedure.  The  woodlands  are, 
all  inclosed  ;  the  underwood,  and  the  useless  trees  are 
removed,  while  the  valuable  timber  trees  are  left,  standing 
suflicientlv  wide  apart  to  admit  the  rays  of  the  sun,  and 

f  2 


66  SURFACE    OF    THE    COUNTRY. 

the  free  circulation  of  the  air,  between  them.  The  ground 
is  then  sown  with  grass,  and  extensive  tracts,  which 
would  otherwise  have  been  mere  wilderness,  are  thus 
converted  into  spacious  lawns,  studded  with  noble  trees. 
These  are  so  numerous,  and  of  such  extent,  as  to  form  a 
prominent  feature  in  the  scenery,  and  it  is  hardly  possible 
to  imagine  any  thing  more  beautiful,  than  the  alternations 
of  woodland  and  meadow,  with  hemp  and  cornfields,  and 
orchards,  which  the  eye  here  meets  in  every  direction. 
The  dwelling  houses  are  usually  large  edifices  of  brick  or 
frame,  surrounded  by  numerous  offices,  and  embowered 
in  shade  trees,  among  which  th«  locust,  and  the  lombar- 
dy  poplar,  are  most  frequently  seen.  The  fences  and 
other  improvements  are  excellent,  and  the  grounds  neatly 
kept.  The  whole  appearance  is  that  of  a  country  pos- 
sessing wealth,  industry,  and  refinement — the  residence 
of  a  hospitable  people,  who  cherish  the  social  virtues, 
and  who  bestow  much  care  in  surrounding  themselves 
with  the  comforts  and  luxuries  of  domestic  life. 

This  beautiful  region  comprises  several  counties,  and 
includes  a  circuit  of  more  than  forty  miles  in  diameter, 
of  which  Lexington  is  the  centre  ;  but  there  are  several 
other  counties  lying  round  it,  but  little  inferior  in  point 
of  fertility,  and  marked  by  similar  features  of  industry, 
improvement,  and  manners. 

The  traveler  cannot  but  pause  to  contrast  the  appear- 
ance of  this  country,  with  that  of  the  wilderness  which 
existed  here  forty  years  ago.  Within  the  memory  of  living 
witnesses,  the  soil  which  is  now  so  finely  embellished, 
and  which  supports  a  numerous  and  highly  refined  popu- 
lation, was  covered  with  luxuriant  forests  and  vast  cane- 
brakes,  which  afforded  shelter  to  the  roving  Indian,  and 
the  prowling  beast  of  prey.  Here  were  the  lodge  of  the 
Indian  and  the  camp  of  the  solitary  hunter.  Here  the 
pioneer  endured  in  his  rude  log  cabin,  all  the  precarious 
toils  and  sudden  vicissitudes  of  the  border  life,  laboriously 


SURFACE    OF    THE    COUNTRY.  67 

opening  the  rich  soil  to  the  action  of  the  sun,  felling  one 
by  one  the  gigantic  trees,  and  resting  by  night,  like  the 
weary  soldier,  with  his  rifle  by  his  side.  And  here  are 
still  seen  the  ruins  of  those  primitive  fortresses,  which 
protected  the  emigrants  and  their  families,  from  the  tom- 
ahawk, when  the  savage  warriors  came  in  sufficient  force 
to  drive  the  hunter  from  his  camp,  and  the  settler  from 
his  newly  cleared  fields. 

So  rapid  has  been  this  change,  and  so  complete  the 
transformation,  that  it  seems  as  if  the  pioneers  who  had 
expelled  the  Indian,  and  the  beast  of  prey,  had  been  in 
their  turn  supplanted  by  a  more  wealthy  and  refined  race, 
who  by  the  magic  influence  of  gold,  and  the  energy  of 
a  superior  industry,  had  converted  the  face  of  the  land 
from  a  desert  to  a  paradise.  But  such  was  not  the  actual 
procedure.  The  wealthy  farmers  who  now  occupy  the 
soil,  the  educated  and  accomplished  individuals  who  com- 
pose the  population,  are,  for  the  most  part,  the  immedi- 
ate descendants  of  the  hardy  men  by  whose  courage  the 
country  was  subdued,  and  by  whose  enterprise  its  resour- 
ces were  brought  into  operation. 

This  beautiful  region  extends  to  the  borders  of  the  Ken- 
tucky river,  to  the  south  of  which  we  find  a  hilly  region, 
interspersed  with  fertile  valleys,  and  crossed  by  several 
rocky,  elevated,  and  precipitous  ridges.  Much  of  the 
land  in  this  district  is  poor;  the  population  is  thinly  scat- 
tered, and  many  of  the  settlers  are  rough  and  illiterate, 
though  independent  and  hospitable. 

Thence  proceeding  to  the  south  west  we  meet  with  the 
Barrens,  an  extensive  tract  of  rolling  land,  some  of  which 
is  said  to  be  rich,  though  a  large  portion  of  it  is  certainly 
not  of  that  description.  It  received  its  name  from  having 
been,  when  first  visited  by  the  whites,  wholly  destitute 
of  timber,  and  covered  with  bushes,  and  from  the  belief 
entertained  by  those  who  then  explored  it,  that  it  was  not 
sufficiently  fertile  to  produce  trees.     That  opinion  has, 


68  SURFACE    OF    THE    COUNTRY. 

however,  been  exploded  by  the  fact,  that  since  the  settle- 
ment of  the  country  timber  has  been  rapidly  produc- 
ed ;  and  many  parts  of  it  are  now  thickly  set  with  flour- 
ishing young  forests,  where  not  a  tree  was  to  be  seen 
forty  years  ago.  In  some  places  the  timber  has  attained 
a  size  which  renders  it  useful  to  the  farmer  for  fuel  and 
fencing,  but  in  general,  the  young  trees  are  not  tall  enough 
to  shade  the  road,  while  they  are  sufficiently  high  to  pre- 
vent the  circulation  of  the  air,  and  in  consequence,  the 
traveler  who  rides  through  this  region  in  sultry  weather, 
finds  the  heat  insufferably  oppressive.  This  tract  is  near- 
ly level,  and  very  dry.  But  few  springs  or  running 
streams  are  found  upon  the  surface ;  and  its  general  re- 
semblance to  the  prairies,  of  which  we  shall  treat  here- 
after, sufficientlv  shews  an  identity  of  character  and  origin. 

Beyond  the  Barrens,  and  throughout  what  is  termed  the 
Green  river  country,  the  lands  are  timbered,  and  in  gen- 
eral fertile.  Some  of  the  counties  are  populous  and  well 
improved ;  but  this  part  of  the  state  having  been  settled 
at  a  comparatively  recent  period,  exhibits  for  the  most 
part,  the  indications  peculiar  to  a  newly  settled  country. 

As  our  plan  does  not  admit  of  great  minuteness  of  de- 
tail, we  shall  not  pursue  these  descriptions  through  the 
state  of  Tennessee.  The  variety  of  surface  and  scenery 
is  even  greater  here  than  in  Kentucky.  A  large  propor- 
tion of  the  territory  is  occupied  by  mountains ;  while 
another  part  extending  to  the  Mississippi  partakes  of 
the  alluvial  character  which  distinguishes  the  borders  of 
that  river. 

In  attempting  to  describe  the  remarkable  features  of 
the  topography  of  the  western  country,  our  intention  is 
to  dwell  chiefly  on  those  which  are  the  most  peculiarly 
characteristic.  We  have  passed  hastily  over  those  parts 
which  differ  in  appearance  and  in  quality,  from  the 
general  surface,  so  greatly  as  to  form  exceptions,  but 
which  yet  partake  of  some  of  the  attributes  of  the  whole  ; 


THE     PRAIRIES.  69 

and  shall  proceed  to  speak  of  that  broad  plain  which  com- 
prises the  great  body  of  the  lands  of  the  west,  and  which 
in  the  vastness  of  its  extent,  in  the  uniformity  of  its  out 
line,  in   the  singularity  of  its  conformation,  and  in   the 
unbounded  fertility  of  its  soil,  stands  without  a  rival. 


CHAPTER  V. 

The  Prairies — their  Appearance. 


It  is  perhaps  not  easy  to  account  for  the  intense  curiosity 
and  surprise,  which  have  been  universally  excited  by  the 
existence  of  these  plains  ;  for  they  have  been  found  in 
various  parts  of  the  world.  The  steppes  of  Asia,  the 
pampas  of  South  America,  and  the  deserts  of  Africa,  are 
alike  destitute  of  timber.  But  they  have  existed  from 
different  causes  ;  and  while  one  has  been  found  too  arid 
and  sterile  to  give  birth  to  vegetation,  and  another  snow- 
clad  and  inhospitable,  others  exist  in  temperate  climates  and 
exhibit  the  most  amazing  fertility  of  soil.  These  facts 
show  that  there  are  various  causes  inimical  to  the  growth 
of  trees,  and  that  the  forest  is  not  necessarily  the  spon- 
taneous product  of  the  earth,  and  its  natural  covering, 
wherever  its  surface  is  left  uncultivated  by  the  hand  of 
man.  The  vegetable  kingdom  embraces  an  infinite  vari- 
ety of  plants,  '  from  the  cedar  of  Lebanon  to  the  hysop 
that  groweth  on  the  wall ;'  and  the  plan  of  nature,  in 
which  there  is  no  miscalculation,  has  provided  that  there 
shall  be  a  necessary  concatenation  of  circumstances — a 
proper  adaptation  of  soil,  climate,  moisture — of  natural 
and  secondary  causes,  to  produce  and  to  protect  each  : 
just  as  she  has  assigned  the  wilderness  to  the  Indian,  the 
rich  pasture  to  the  grazing  herd,  and  the  Alps  to  the 
mountain  goat. 


70  THE    PRAIRIES. 

I  apprehend  that  the  intense  astonishment,  with  which 
the  American  pioneers  first  beheld  a  prairie,  and  which 
we  o//feel  in  gazing  over  these  singularly  beautiful  plains, 
is  the  result  of  association.  The  adventurers  who  pre- 
ceded us,  from  the  champaign  districts  of  France,  have 
left  no  record  of  any  such  surprise ;  on  the  contrary,  they 
discovered  in  these  flowery  meadows  something,  that  re- 
minded them  of  home  ;  and  their  sprightly  imaginations 
at  once  suggested,  that  nothing  was  wanting  but  the  vine- 
yard, the  peasant's  cottage,  and  the  stately  chateau,  to 
render  the  resemblance  complete.  But  our  immediate 
ancestors  came  from  lands  covered  with  wood,  and  in 
their  minds  the  idea  of  a  wilderness  was  indissolubly  con- 
nected with  that  of  a  forest.  They  had  settled  in  the 
woods  upon  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  ;  and  there  their 
ideas  of  a  new  country  had  been  formed.  As  they  pro- 
ceeded to  the  west,  they  found  the  shadows  of  the  heavy 
foliage  deepening  upon  their  path,  and  the  luxuriant  forest 
becoming  at  every  step  more  stately  and  intense,  confirm- 
ing the  impression,  that  as  they  receded  from  civilization, 
the  woodland  must  continue  to  accumulate  the  gloom  of  its 
savage  and  silent  grandeur  around  them — until  suddenly 
the  glories  of  the  prairie  burst  upon  their  enraptured  gaze, 
with  its  widely  extended  landscape,  its  verdure,  its  flow- 
ers, its  picturesque  groves,  and  all  its  exquisite  variety  of 
mellow  shade  and  sunny  light. 

Had  our  English  ancestors,  on  the  other  hand,  first  set- 
tled upon  the  plains  of  Missouri  and  Illinois,  and  the  tide 
of  emigration  was  now  setting  towards  the  forests  of  Ohio 
and  Kentucky,  climbing  the  rocky  barriers  of  the  Alle- 
gheny ridge,  and  pouring  itself  down  upon  the  wooded 
shores  of  the  Atlantic,  the  question  would  not  be  asked, 
how  the  western  plains  became  denuded  of  timber,  but 
by  what  miracle  of  Providence,  a  vast  region  had  been 
clothed,  with  so  much  regularity,  with  the  most  splendid 
and  gigantic  productions  of  nature,  and  preserved  through 


THE    PRAIRIES.  71 

whole  centuries  from  the  devastations  of  the  frost  and  the 
fire,  the  hurricane  and  the  flood.  We  have  all  remarked 
how  simple  and  how  rapid  is  the  process  of  rearing  the 
annual  ilower,  or  the  more  hardy  varieties  of  grass,  and 
with  what  ease  a  spot  of  ground  may  be  covered  with  a 
carpet  of  verdure  ;  and  we  know  equally  well  how  diffi- 
cult it  is  to  protect  an  orchard  or  a  grove,  and  how  nu- 
merous are  the  accidents  which  assail  a  tree.  An  expanse 
of  natural  meadow  is  not  therefore  so  much  an  object  of 
curiosity,  as  a  continuous  forest;  the  former  coming  rap- 
idly to  perfection,  with  but  few  enemies  to  assail  it,  the 
latter  advancing  slowly  to  maturity,  surrounded  by  dan- 
gers. Hence  there  is,  to  my  mind,  no  scene  so  imposing, 
none  which  awakens  sensations  of  such  admiration  and 
solemnity,  as  the  forest  standing  in  its  aboriginal  integrity, 
and  bearing  the  indisputable  marks  of  antiquity — where 
we  stand  upon  a  soil  composed  of  the  vegetable  mould, 
which  can  only  have  been  produced  by  the  undisturbed 
accumulation  of  ages,  and  behold  around  us  the  healthful 
and  gigantic  trees,  whose  immense  shafts  have  been  in- 
creasing in  size  for  centuries,  and  which  have  stood 
during  that  whole  time  exposed  to  the  lightning,  the  wind, 
and  the  frost,  and  to  the  depredations  of  the  insect  and 
the  brute. 

The  scenery  of  the  prairie  country  excites  a  different 
feeling.  The  novelty  is  striking,  and  never  fails  to  cause 
an  exclamation  of  surprise.  The  extent  of  the  prospect 
is  exhilarating.  The  outline  of  the  landscape  is  sloping, 
and  graceful.  The  verdure  and  the  flowers  are  beautiful : 
and  the  absence  of  shade,  and  consequent  appearance  of 
a  profusion  of  light,  produce*  a  gaiety  which  animates  the 
beholder. 

It  is  necessary  to  explain  that  these  plains,  although 
preserving  a  general  level  in  respect  to  the  whole  country, 
are  yet  in  ihemselves  not  JIat,  but  exhibit  a  gracefully 
waving  surface,  swelling  and  sinking  with  an  easy  slope, 


72  THE    PRAIRIES. 

and  a  full  rounded  outline,  equally  avoiding  the  unmean- 
ing horizontal  surface,  and  the  interruption  of  abrupt  or 
angular  elevations.  It  is  that  surface  which,  in  the  ex- 
pressive language  of  the  country,  is  called  rolling,  and 
which  has  been  said  to  resemble  the  long  heavy  swell  of 
the  ocean,  when  its  waves  are  subsiding  to  rest  after  the 
agitation  of  a  storm. 

It  is  to  be  remarked  also,  that  the  prairie  is  almost  al- 
ways elevated  in  the  centre,  so  that  in  advancing  into  it 
from  either  side,  you  see  before  you  only  the  plain,  with 
its  curved  outline  marked  upon  the  sky,  and  forming  the 
horizon,  but  on  reaching  the  highest  point,  you  look 
around  upon  the  whole  of  the  vast  scene. 

The  attraction  of  the  prairie  consists  in  its  extent,  its 
carpet  of  verdure  and  flowers,  its  undulating  surface,  its 
groves,  and  the  fringe  of  timber  by  which  it  is  surrounded. 
Of  all  these,  the  latter  is  the  most  expressive  feature — it 
is  that  which  gives  character  to  the  landscape,  which  im- 
parts the  shape,  and  marks  the  boundary  of  the  plain. 
If  the  prairie  be  small,  its  greatest  beauty  consists  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  surrounding  margin  of  woodland,  which 
resembles  the  shore  of  a  lake,  indented  with  deep  vistas 
like  bays  and  inlets,  and  throwing  out  long  points,  like 
capes  and  headlands  ;  while  occasionally  these  points 
approach  so  close  on  either  hand,  that  the  traveler  passes 
through  a  narrow  avenue  or  strait,  where  the  shadows  of 
the  woodland  fall  upon  his  path, — and  then  again  emerges 
into  another  prairie.  Where  the  plain  is  large,  the  forest 
outline  is  seen  in  the  far  perspective,  like  the  dim  shore 
when  beheld  at  a  distance  from  the  ocean.  The  eye 
sometimes  roams  over  the  green  meadow,  without  dis- 
covering a  tree,  a  shrub,  or  any  object  in  the  immense 
expanse,  but  the  wilderness  of  grass  and  flowers  ;  while 
at  another  time,  the  prospect  is  enlivened  by  the  groves, 
which  are  seen  interspersed  like  islands,  or  the  solitary 
tree,  which  stands  alone  in  the  blooming  desert. 


THE    PRAIRIES.  73 

If  it  be  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  and  the  young  grass 
has  just  covered  the  ground  with  a  carpet  of  delicate  green, 
and  especially  if  the  sun  is  rising  from  behind  a  distant 
swell  of  the  plain,  and  glittering  upon  the  dew-drops,  no 
scene  can  be  more  lovely  to  the  eye.  The  deer  is  seen 
grazing  quietly  upon  the  plain  ;  the  bee  is  on  the  wing  ; 
the  wolf,  with  his  tail  drooped,  is  sneaking  away  to  his 
covert  with  the  felon  tread  of  one  who  is  conscious  that 
he  has  disturbed  the  peace  of  nature  ;  and  the  grouse 
feeding  in  flocks,  or  in  pairs,  like  the  domestic  fowl, 
cover  the  whole  surface — the  males  strutting  and  erecting 
their  plumage  like  the  peacock,  and  uttering  a  long,  loud, 
mournful  note,  something  like  the  cooing  of  the  dove, 
but  resembling  still  more  the  sound  produced  by  passing 
a  rough  finger  boldly  over  the  surface  of  a  tambourine. 
The  number  of  these  birds  is  astonishing.  The  plain  is 
covered  with  them  in  every  direction ;  and  when  they 
have  been  driven  from  the  ground  by  a  deep  snow,  I  have 
seen  thousands — or  more  properly  tens  of  thousands — 
thickly  clustered  in  the  tops  of  the  trees  surrounding  the 
prairie.  They  do  not  retire  as  the  country  becomes  set- 
tled, but  continue  to  Jurk  in  the  tall  grass  around  the 
newly  made  farms  ;  and  I  have  sometimes  seen  them 
mingled  with  the  domestic  fowls,  at  a  short  distance  from 
the  farmer's  door.  They  will  eat,  and  even  thrive  when 
confined  in  a  coop,  and  may  undoubtedly  be  domesticated. 

When  the  eye  roves  ofT  from  the  green  plain,  to  the 
groves,  or  points  of  timber,  these  also  are  found  to  be  at 
this  season  robed  in  the  most  attractive  hues.  The  rich 
undergrowth  is  in  full  bloom.  The  red-bud,  the  dog- wood, 
the  crab-apple,  the  wild  plum,  the  cherry,  the  wild  rose, 
are  abundant  in  all  the  rich  lands  ;  and  the  grape  vine, 
though  its  blossom  is  unseen,  fills  the  air  with  fragrance. 
The  variety  of  the  wild  fruit,  and  flowering  shrubs,  is  so 
great,  and  such  the  profusion  of  the  blossoms  with  which 

G 


74  THE    PRAIRIES. 

they  are  bowed  down,  that  the  eye  is  regaled  almost  to 
satiety. 

The  gayety  of  the  prairie,  its  embellishments,'  and  the 
absence  of  the   gloom  and  savage  wildness  of  the  forest, 
all  contribute  to  dispel  the  feeling  of  lonesomeness,  which 
usually  creeps   over  the  mind  of  the  solitary  traveler  in 
the  wilderness.     Though  he  may  not  see  a  house,  nor  a 
human  being,  and  is  conscious   that  he   is   far  from  the 
habitations  of  men,  he  can  scarcely  divest  himself  of  the 
idea  that  he  is  traveling  through  scenes  embellished  by 
the  hand  of  art.     The  flowers,  so  fragile,  so  delicate,  and 
so  ornamental,  seem  to  have  been  tastefully  disposed  to 
adorn  the  scene.     The  groves  and  clumps  of  trees  appear 
to  have  been  scattered  over  the  lawn  to  beautify  the  land- 
scape, and  it  is  not  easy  to  avoid  that  illusion  of  the  fancy, 
which  persuades  the  beholder,  that  such  scenery  has  been 
created  to  gratify  the  refined  taste  of  civilized  man.     Eu- 
ropeans are  often  reminded   of  the  resemblance  of  this 
scenery  to  that  of  the  extensive  parks  of  noblemen,  which 
they  have  been  accustomed  to  admire,  in  the  old  world  ; 
the   lawn,  the  avenue,  the  grove,  the    copse,  which  are 
there  produced  by  art,  are  here   prepared  by  nature  ;  a 
splendid  specimen  of  massy  architecture,  and  the  distant 
view  of  villages,   are  alone  wanting  to  render  the  simili- 
tude complete. 

In  the  summer,  the  prairie  is  covered  with  long  coarse 
grass,  which  soon  assumes  a  golden  hue,  and  waves  in 
the  wind  like  a  ripe  harvest.  Those  who  have  not  a 
personal  knowledge  of  the  subject,  would  be  deceived  by 
the  accounts  which  are  published  of  the  height  of  the 
grass.  It  is  seldom  so  tall  as  travelers  have  represented, 
nor  does  it  attain  its  highest  growth  in  the  richest  soil. 
In  the  low,  wet  prairies,  where  the  substratum  of  clay  lies 
near  the  surface,  the  centre  or  main  stem  of  this  grass, 
which  bears  the  seed,  acquires  great  thickness,  and  shoots 
up  to  the  height  of  eight  or  nine  feet,  throwing  out  a  few 


THE    PRAIRIES.  75 

long  coarse  leaves  or  blades,  and  the  traveler  often  finds 
it  higher  than  his  head  as  he  rides  through  it  on  horseback. 
The  plants,  although  numerous  and  standing  close  to- 
gether, appear  to  grow  singly  and  unconnected,  the  whole 
force  of  the  vegetative  power  expanding  itself  upward. 
Hut  in  the  rich  undulating  prairies,  the  grass  is  finer,  with 
less  of  stalk,  and  a  greater  profusion  of  leaves.  The 
roots  spread  and  interweave  so  as  to  form  a  compact  even 
sod,  and  the  blades  expand  into  a  close  thick  sward, 
which  is  seldom  more  than  eighteen  inches  high,  and 
often  less,  until  late  in  the  season,  when  the  seed-bearinsr 
stem  shoots  up. 

The  first  coat  of  grass  is  mingled  with  small  flowers  ; 
the  violet,  the  bloom  of  the  strawberry,  and  others  of  the 
most  minute  and  delicate  texture.  As  the  grass  increases 
in  size,  these  disappear,  and  others,  taller  and  more  gau- 
dy, display  their  brilliant  colors  upon  the  green  surface, 
and  still  later  a  larger  and  coarser  succession  rises  with 
the  rising  tide  of  verdure.  A  fanciful  writer  asserts  that 
the  prevalent  color  of  the  prairie  flowers  is,  in  the  spring 
a  bluish  purple,  in  midsummer  red,  and  in  the  autumn 
yellow.  This  is  one  of  the  notions  that  people  get,  who 
study  nature  by  the  fireside.  The  truth  is,  that  the  whole 
of  the  surface  of  these  beautiful  plains,  is  clad  throughout 
the  season  of  verdure,  with  every  imaginable  variety  of 
color,  '  from  grave  to  gay.'  It  is  impossible  to  conceive 
a  more  infinite  diversity,  or  a  richer  profusion  of  hues,  or 
to  detect  any  predominating  tint,  except  the  green,  which 
forms  the  beautiful  ground,  and  relieves  the  exquisite 
brilliancy  of  all  the  others.  The  only  changes  of  color 
observed  at  the  different  seasons,  arise  from  the  circum- 
stance, that  in  the  spring  the  flowers  are  small  and  the 
colors  delicate  ;  as  the  heat  becomes  more  ardent  a  hardier 
race  appears,  the  flowers  attain  a  greater  size,  and  the 
hue  deepens  ;  and  still  later  a  succession  of  coarser  plants 
rise  above  the  tall  grass,  throwing  out  larger  and  gaudier 


76  THE    PRAIRIES. 

flowers.  As  the  season  advances  from  spring  to  midsum- 
mer, the  individual  flower  becomes  less  beautiful  when 
closely  inspected,  but  the  landscape,  is  far  more  variegat- 
ed, rich,  and  glowing. 

In  the  winter,  the  prairies  present  a  gloomy  and  deso- 
late scene.  The  fire  has  passed  over  them,  and  consumed 
every  vegetable  substance,  leaving  the  soil  bare,  and  the 
surface  perfectly  black.  That  gracefully  waving  outline, 
which  was  so  attractive  to  the  eye  when  clad  in  green,  is 
now  disrobed  of  all  its  ornaments  ;  its  fragrance,  its  notes 
of  joy,  and  the  graces  of  its  landscape,  have  all  vanished, 
and  the  bosom  of  the  cold  earth,  scorched  and  discolored, 
is  alone  visible.  The  wind  sighs  mournfully  over  the 
black  plain;  but  there  is  no  object  to  be  moved  by  its  in- 
fluence— not  a  tree  to  wave  its  long  arms  in  the  blast,  nor 
a  reed  to  bend  its  fragile  stem — not  a  leaf,  nor  even  a 
blade  of  grass  to  tremble  in  the  breeze.  There  is  nothing 
to  be  seen  but  the  cold  dead  earth  and  the  bare  mound, 
which  move  not — and  the  traveler  with  a  singular  sensa- 
tion, almost  of  awe,  feels  the  blast  rushing  over  him, 
while  not  an  object  visible  to  the  eye,  is  seen  to  stir. 
Accustomed  as  the  mind  is  to  associate  with  the  action  of 
the  wind  its  operation  upon  surrounding  objects,  and  to 
see  nature  bowing  and  trembling,  and  the  fragments  of 
matter  mounting  upon  the  wind,  as  the  storm  passes, 
there  is  a  novel  effect  produced  on  the  mind  of  one  who 
feels  the  current  of  air  rolling  heavily  over  him,  while 
nothing  moves  around. 

By  those  who  have  never  seen  this  region,  a  very  toler- 
able idea  may  be  formed  of  the  manner  in  which  the 
prairie  and  forest  alternate,  and  the  proportions  of  each, 
by  drawing  a  colored  line  of  irregular  breadth,  along  the 
edges  of  all  the  water  courses  laid  down  in  the  map.  The 
border  thus  shaded,  which  would  represent  the  woodland, 
would  vary  in  width  from  one  to  five  or  six  miles,  and 
would  sometimes  extend   to  twelve.     As  the  streams  ap- 


THE    PRAIRrES.  77 

proach  each  other,  these  borders  would  approximate,  or 
come  into  contact;  and  all  the  intermediate  spaces,  not 
thus  colored  would  be  prairie.  It  is  true  therefore,  as  a 
general  rule,  in  relation  to  the  states  in  which  the  prairies 
are  situated,  that  wherever  there  is  a  considerable  tract 
of  surface,  not  intersected  by  water  courses,  it  is  level,  and 
destitute  of  timber ;  but  in   the  vicinity  of  springs   and 

streams  the  country  is  clothed  in  forest. 

Taking  as  an  example  the  country  lying  between  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers,  it  will  be  seen  that  in  the 
point  formed  by  their  junction,  the  forest  covers  the  whole 
ground,  and  that  as  these  rivers  diverge,  the  prairies  begin 
to  intervene.  At  first  there  is  only  an  occasional  meadow, 
small,  and  not  very  distinctly  defined.  Proceeding  north- 
ward the  timber  is  found  to  decrease,  and  the  prairies  to 
expand  ;  yet  the  plains  are  still  comparatively  small, 
wholly  unconnected  with  each  other,  and  their  outlines 
distinctly  marked  by  the  woodlands  which  surround  and 
separate  them.  They  are  insulated  and  distinct  tracts  of 
meadow  land,  embosomed  in  the  forest.  Advancing  fur- 
ther to  the  north,  the  prairie  surface  begins  to  predominate  ; 
the  prairies  now  become  large,  and  communicate  with 
each  other  like  a  chain  of  lakes,  by  means  of  numerous 
avenues  or  vistas  ;  still  however,  the  traveler  is  surrounded 
by  timber ;  his  eye  never  loses  sight  of  the  deep  green 
outline,  throwing  out  its  capes  and  headlands ;  though  ho 
sees  no  more  those  dense  forests  and  large  trees,  whose 
deep  shade  almost  appalled  him  in  the  more  southern 
district. 

Travelling  onward  in  the  same  direction,  the  prairies 
continue  to  expand,  until  we  find  ourselves  surrounded 
by  one  vast  plain.  In  the  country  over  which  we  have 
passed,  the  forest  is  interspersed  with  these  interesting 
plains ;  here  the  prairie  is  studded  with  groves  and 
copses,  and  the  streams  fringed  with  strips  of  woodland. 
The  eye   sometimes   roves   over   an    immense    expanse 

o2 


78  THE  PRAIRIES. 

clothed  with  grass,  discovering  no  other  object  on  which 
to  rest,  and  finding  no  limit  to  its  vision  but  the  distant 
horizon  ;  while  more  frequently  it  wanders  from  grove  to 
grove,  and  from  one  point  of  woodland  to  another,  charmed 
and  refreshed  by  an  endless  variety  of  scenic  beauty. 

This  description  applies  chiefly  to  Illinois,  from  a 
careful  inspection  of  which  state  we  have  drawn  the  pic- 
ture ;  but  its  general  outlines  are  true  of  Indiana  and 
Missouri,  and  are  applicable,  to  some  extent,  to  Ohio  and 
Michigan.  But  if  our  path  lie  still  farther  to  the  west, 
and  conduct  us  to  the  wide  tracts  that  extend  from  the 
waters  of  the  Arkansas  to  those  of  the  Missouri  and  Mis- 
sissippi, we  arrive  at  a  region  of  boundless  plains — bound- 
less to  the  eye  of  the  traveler,  which  discovers  nothing 
but  the  verdant  carpet  and  the  blue  sky,  without  a  grove, 
a  tree,  or  a  bush,  to  add  variety  to  the  landscape,  and 
where  the  naked  meadow  often  commences  at  the  very 
margins  of  the  streams. 

When  the  prairie  is  bare,  it  is  easy  to  distinguish  the 
rich  from  the  poorer  lands,  by  the  small  hillocks  which 
are  scattered  over  them,  and  which  are  most  abundant 
where  the  soil  is  least  productive.  They  are  from  a  few 
inches,  to  two  or  three  feet  in  height,  and  can  only,  of 
course,  exist  where  the  clay  lies  near  the  surface  ;  as  such 
mounds  composed  of  the  rich  mould,  would  soon  crumble 
away.  They  have  a  singular  appearance,  and  are  some- 
times so  thickly  scattered  as  to  be  inconvenient  to  the 
horseman,  who  attempts  to  ride  through  the  high  grass. 
The  inhabitants  call  them  gopher  hills,  under  the  belief 
that  they  were  raised  by  a  small  quadruped  of  that  name. 
I  never  saw  a  gopher — nor  a  man  who  had  seen  one. 
Col.  Long,  however,  and  his  companions  saw  them  far 
to  the  west ;  so  that  while  the  existence  of  such  an  ani- 
mal seems  to  be  proved,  it  is  obvious  from  the  fact  that  it 
is  no  longer  seen  within  our  settlements,  that  like  the  In- 
dian it  cannot  endure  the  vicinity  of  civilized  man,  and 


THEORY  OF  THE   PRAIRIES.  79 

has  long  since  forsaken  our  borders.  But  I  am  inclined 
to  believe  that  very  few  of  the  hillocks  attributed  to  these 
animals  are  of  their  workmanship.  In  the  wet  prairies 
they  are  thrown  up  by  craivjlsh,  who  always  burrow  in 
the  clay,  and  not  in  rich  or  crumbling  soil,  that  would 
cave  in  and  mar  their  labor  ;  in  drier  situations  they  have 
been  thrown  up  by  industrious  colonies  of  ants,  who  also 
belong  to  the  clay  party,  and  make  their  internal  improve- 
ments in  the  kind  of  earth  best  suited  to  their  purpose 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Theory  of  the  Prairies. 


The  prairies  afford  a  subject  of  curious  inquiry  to 
every  traveler  who  visits  these  regions.  Their  appearance 
is  novel  and  imposing-  and  he  who  beholds  it  for  the  first 
lime  experiences  a  sensation  similar  to  that  which  fills 
the  imagination  at  the  first  sight  of  the  ocean.  The  wide 
and  unlimited  prospect  calls  up  perceptions  of  the  sublime 
and  beautiful ;  its  peculiarity  awakens  a  train  of  inquisi- 
tive thought.  Upon  the  mind  of  an  American  especially, 
accustomed  to  see  new  land  clothed  with  timber,  and  to 
associate  the  idea  of  a  tangled  and  silent  forest,  with  that 
of  a  wilderness,  the  appearance  of  sunny  plains,  and  a 
diversified  landscape,  untenanted  by  man,  and  unimproved 
by  art,  is  singular  and  striking.  Perhaps  if  our  imagina- 
tions were  divested  of  the  impressions  created  by  memo- 
ry, the  subject  would  present  less  difficulty ;  and  if  we 
could  reason  abstractly,  it  might  be  as  easy  to  account  for 
the  origin  of  a  prairie,  as  for  that  of  a  forest. 

It  is  natural  to  suppose  that  the  first  covering  of  I  lie 
earth  would  be  composed  of  such  plants  as  arrive  at  ma- 


80  THEORY  OF  THE  PRAIRIES. 

turity  in  the  shortest  time.     Annual  plants  would  ripen, 
and   scatter   their   seeds,  many  times,  before   trees   and 
shrubs  would  acquire  the  power  of  reproducing  their  own 
species.     In  the  mean  time  the  propagation  of  the  latter 
would  be  liable  to  be  retarded  by  a  variety  of  accidents — 
the  frost  would  nip  their  tender  stems  in  the  winter — fire 
would  consume,  or  the  blast  would   shatter  them — and 
the  wild  grazing  animals  would  bite  them  off,  or  tread 
them  under  foot ;  while  many  of  their  seeds,  particularly 
such  as  assume  the  form  of  nuts  or  fruit,  would  be  de- 
voured by  animals.     The  grasses,  which  are  propagated 
both  by  the  root  and  by  seed,  are  exempt  from  the  opera- 
tion of  almost  all  these  casualties.     Providence  has,  with 
unerring  wisdom,  fitted  every  production  of  nature  to  sus- 
tain itself  against  the  accidents  to  which  it  is  most  ex- 
posed, and  has  given  to  those  plants  which  constitute  the 
food  of  animals,  a  remarkable  tenacity  of  life  ;  so  that  al- 
though bitten  off,  and  trodden,  and  even   burned,  they 
still  retain  the  vital  principle.     That  trees  have  a  similar 
power  of  self  protection,  if  we  may  so  express  it,  is  evi- 
dent from  their  present  existence  in  a  state  of  nature. 
We  only  assume,  that  in  the  earliest  s'ate  of  being,  the 
grasses  would  have  the  advantage,  over  plants  less  hardy, 
and  of  slower  growth  ;  and  that  when  both  are  struggling 
together  for  the  possession  of  the  soil,  the  former  would 
at  first  gain  the  ascendancy  ;  although  the  latter,  in  con- 
sequence of  their  superior  size  and  strength,  would  final- 
ly, if  they  should  ever  get  possession  of  any  portion  of 
the  soil,  entirely  overshadow  and  destroy  their  humble 
rivals. 

We  have  no  means  of  determining  at  what  period  the 
fires  began  to  sweep  over  these  plains,  because  we  know 
not  when  they  began  to  be  inhabited.  It  is  quite  possible 
that  they  might  have  been  occasionally  fired  by  lightning 
previous  to  the  introduction  of  that  element  by  human 
agency.     At  all  events,  it  is  very  evident  that  as  soon  as 


THEORY  OF  THE  PRAIRIES.  81 

fire  began  to  be  used  in  this  country  by  its  inhabitants, 
the  annual  burning  of  the  prairie  must  have  commenced. 

One  of  the  peculiarities  of  this  climate  is  the  dryness 
of  its  summers  and  autumns.  A  drought  often  commences 
in  August,  which,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  showers 
towards  the  close  of  that  month,  continues,  with  little  in- 
terruption, throughout  the  fall  season.  The  autumnal 
months  are  almost  invariably  clear,  warm,  and  dry.  The 
immense  mass  of  vegetation,  with  which  this  fertile  soil 
loads  itself  during  the  summer,  is  suddenly  withered,  and 
the  whole  earth  covered  with  combustible  materials. 
This  is  especially  true  of  the  prairies,  where  the  grass 
grows  from  two  to  ten  feet  high,  and  being  entirely  ex- 
posed to  the  action  of  the  sun  and  wind,  dries  with  great 
rapidity.  A  single  spark  of  fire,  falling  any  where  upon 
these  plains,  at  such  a  time,  instantly  kindles  a  blaze,  that 
spreads  on  every  side,  and  continues  its  destructive  course 
as  long  as  it  finds  fuel. 

Travelers  have  described  these  fires  as  sweeping  with 
a  rapidity,  which  renders  it  hazardous  even  to  fly  before 
them  ;  and  our  children's  books  and  school  geographies 
are  embellished  with  plates,  representing  men,  horses, 
and  wild  animals,  retreating  at  full  speed,  and  with  every 
mark  of  terror,  before  the  devouring  element.  These  are 
exaggerations.  If  instances  of  this  kind  of  danger  have 
ever  occurred,  they  have  been  rare.  We  have  never 
witnessed,  or  heard  of  such  a  scene'.  There  is  not  an 
authenticated  case,  on  record,  or  in  tradition,  in  which  a 
man  or  an  animal  has  been  burned  by  these  fires,  unless 
he  was  drunk  or  wounded.  The  burning  of  several  In- 
dians mentioned  by  Lewis  and  Clarke,  was  probably  the 
result  of  some  unusual  accident,  which  they  did  not  think 
necessary  to  explain.  The  thick  sward  of  the  prairie 
presents  a  considerable  mass  of  fuel,  and  offers  a  barrier 
to  the  progress  of  the  flame,  not  easily  surmounted.  The 
fire  advances  slowly,  and  with  power.     The  heat  is  in- 


82  THEORY  OF  THE  PRAIRIES. 

tense.  The  flames  often  extend  across  a  wide  prairie,  and 
advance  in  a  long  line.  No  sight  can  he  more  sublime, 
than  to  behold  at  night,  a  stream  of  fire  several  miles  in 
breadth,  advancing  across  these  plains,  leaving  behind  it 
a  black  cloud  of  smoke,  and  throwing  before  it  a  vivid 
glare  which  lights  up  the  whole  landscape  with  the  bril- 
liancy of  noonday.  A  roaring  and  cracking  sound  is 
heard  like  the  rushing  of  a  hurricane.  The  flame,  which 
in  general  rises  to  the  height  of  about  twenty  feet,  is  seen 
sinking,  and  darting  upward  in  spires,  precisely  as  the 
waves  dash  against  each  other,  and  as  the  spray  flies  up 
into  the  air ;  and  the  whole  appearance  is  often  that  of  a 
boiling  and  flaming  sea,  violently  agitated.  The  progress 
of  the  fire  is  so  slow,  and  the  heat  so  great,  that  every 
combustible  material  in  its  course  is  consumed.  The 
root  of  the  prairie-grass  alone,  by  some  peculiar  adapta- 
tion of  nature,  is  spared  ;  for  of  most  other  vegetables, 
not  only  is  the  stem  destroyed,  but  the  vital  principle  ex- 
tinguished. Woe  to  the  farmer,  whose  ripe  corn  fields 
extend  into  the  prairie,  and  who  has  carelessly  suffered 
the  tall  grass  to  grow  in  contact  with  his  fences  !  The 
whole  labor  of  the  year  is  swept  away  in  a  few  hours. 
But  such  accidents  are  comparatively  unfrequent,  as  the 
preventive  is  simple,  and  easily  applied.  A  narrow  strip 
of  bare  ground  prevents  the  fire  from  extending  to  the 
space  beyond  it.  A  beaten  road,  of  the  width  of  a  single 
wagon  track,  arrests  its  progress.  The  treading  of  the 
domestic  animals  around  the  inclosures  of  the  farmer  af- 
fords often  a  sufficient  protection,  by  destroying  the  fuel 
in  their  vicinity  ;  and  in  other  cases  a  few  furrows  are 
drawn  round  the  field  with  the  plough,  or  the  wild  grass 
is  closely  mowed  down  on  the  outside  of  the  fence. 

It  will  be  readily  seen,  that  as  soon  as  those  fires  com- 
menced, all  the  young  timber  within  their  range,  must 
have  been  destroyed.  The  whole  face  of  the  country  be- 
ing spread  out  into  vast  plains,  unbroken  by  hills,  and  but 


THEORY  OF  THE  PRAIRIES.  83 

little  intersected  by  streams,  or  other  obstacles  which 
might  obstruct  the  onward  career  of  the  devouring  ele- 
ment, the  tire  kindled  at  different  places,  would  sweep 
on  unchecked,  until  it  had  passed  over  the  whole  region — 
with  a  few  exceptions,  of  which  we  shall  now  speak. 

In  the  bottom  lands,  and  along  the  margins  of  streams, 
the  grass  and  herbage  remains  green  until  late  in  the 
autumn,  in  consequence  of  the  moisture  of  the  soil.  Here 
the  fire  would  stop,  for  want  of  fuel ;  the  shrubs  would 
thus  escape  from  year  to  year,  and  the  outer  bark  acquire 
sufficient  hardness  to  protect  the  inner  and  more  vital 
parts.  The  margins  of  the  streams  having  thus  become 
fringed  with  thickets,  the  latter,  by  shading  the  ground, 
would  destroy  the  grass,  and  prevent  the  moisture  of  the 
soil  from  being  rapidly  evaporated  ;  so  that  even  the  fallen 
leaves  would  not  become  dried  so  thoroughly,  or  so  early 
in  the  season,  as  the  grass  of  the  open  plains,  and  the  fire 
would  always  afterwards  find  here  comparatively  little 
fuel.  These  thickets  grow  up  into  strips  of  forests,  which 
continue  to  extend  until  they  reach  the  high  table  land 
of  the  prairie  ;  and  so  invariably  exact  is  this  process, 
that  we  see  the  timber  now,  not  only  covering  all  the 
bottom  lands,  and  hillsides  skirting  the  streams,  but 
wherever  a  ravine  or  hollow  extends  from  the  low  grounds 
up  into  the  prairie,  these  are  filled  with  young  timber  of 
more  recent  growth.  But  the  moment  we  reach  the  level 
plain  of  the  country,  we  see  the  evidences  of  a  continued 
struggle  between  the  forest  and  the  prairie  :  at  one  place, 
where  the  fire  has,  on  some  occasion,  burned  with  greater 
fierceness  than  usual,  it  has  successfully  assailed  the 
edges  of  the  forest,  and  made  deep  inroads,  and  at  ano- 
ther, the  forest  has  pushed  long  capes  or  points  into  the 
prairie. 

Having  thus  stated  briefly  the  theory  which  seems  to 
us  to  be  consistent  with  reason,  and  adduced  as  many 
facts  as  appear  neeessary  to  its  support,  we  shall  for  the 


84  THEORY  OF  THE  PRAIRIES. 

present,  to  avoid  repetition,  omit  some  striking  proofs 
which  will  be  necessarily  alluded  to  hereafter,  and  proceed 
to  exhibit  some  of  the  hypotheses  advanced  by  others. 

The  flood  has,  of  course,  been  cited  as  the  grand  cause 
of  the  formation  of  the  prairies — for  what  phenomenon 
in  the  geological  or  the  topographical  aspect  of  the  earth, 
has  not  been  referred  to  some  one  of  the  great  concatena 
tion  of  events  which  attended  that  extraordinary  exertion 
of  omnipotence  !  But  we  do  not  venture  to  go  back  so 
far.  We  are  satisfied  with  having  found  a  sufficient  ex- 
planation within  a  more  recent  period.  That  the  great 
plain  of  the  west  may  have  been  formed  by  the  deposition 
of  earthy  particles  which  took  place  upon  the  subsiding 
of  the  waters,  after  that  wonderful  catastrophe,  is  very 
probable  ;  though  we  doubt  whether  much  light  will  ever 
be  shed  upon  the  subject,  or  whether  it  be  practicable  to 
ascertain  any  thing  further  in  relation  to  that  awful  event, 
than  the  sacred  historian  has  deemed  it  proper  to  disclose. 
It  has  however  little  to  do  with  the  growth  of  timber  at 
one  location,  or  the  absence  of  that  production  at  another 

A  writer  in  the  American  Quarterly  Review,  for  whose 
judgment  we  entertain  the  most  perfect  respect,  has  sug- 
gested an  explanation  somewhat  different  from  that  which 
we  have  advanced.  He  says,  "  The  origin  of  these 
prairies  has  occasioned  much  theory  ;  it  is  to  our  minds 
very  simple  ;  they  are  caused  by  the  Indian  custom  of 
annually  burning  the  leaves  and  grass  in  autumn,  which 
prevents  the  growth  of  any  young  trees*  Time  will  thus 
form  prairies  ;  for  some  of  the  old  trees  annually  perish- 
ing, and  there  being  no  undergrowth  to  supply  their  place, 
they  become  thinner  every  year ;  and  as  they  diminish 
they  shade  the  grass  less,  which  therefore  grows  more 
luxuriantly,  and  when  a  strong  wind  carries  a  fire  through 
the  dried  grass  and  leaves  which  cover  the  earth  with  com- 
bustible matter  several  feet  deep,  the  volume  of  flame  de- 
stroys all   before  it ;  the  very   animals    cannot   escape. 


THEORY    OF    THE    PRAIRIES.  85 

We  have  seen  it  enwrap  a  forest  upon  which  it  was  pre- 
cipitated, and  destroy  whole  acres  of  trees.  After  a 
beginning  is  made,  the  circle  widens  every  year,  until 
prairies  open  as  boundless  as  the  ocean.  Young  growth 
follows  the  Americas  settlement,  since  the  settler  keeps 
off  those  annual  burnings*  Another  proof  of  our  theory 
is,  that  prairies  are  all  upon  rich,  rolling,  and  compara- 
tively dry,  soil,  where  much  vegetable  matter  would 
accumulate  to  raise  the  ilame,  and  but  little  moisture  to 
counteract  it." 

This  writer  differs  from  us,  in  supposing  that  the  forest 
has  Seen  destroyed  by  the  action  of  fire,  while  we  ima- 
gine that  its  production  has  been  prevented  by  that  cause. 
We  deny  that  there  is  any  proof  of  fires  in  the  woods 
having  been  so  extensive,  or  so  destructive  as  he  sup- 
poses. The  destruction  of  growing  timber  by  fire  is  not 
a  common  occurrence,  though  we  do  not  question  that 
the  writer  has  witnessed  it  under  the  circumstances  which 
he  states.  The  fact  is  undeniable,  that  in  those  countries 
where  woodland  and  prairie  are  found  adjacent,  the  fire 
ceases  to  display  the  same  destructive  energy  in  the  for- 
mer, that  it  exhibits  in  the  latter.  The  edges  of  the 
prairie  do  not  exhibit  appearances  of  encroachment  by 
fire  on  the  timber ;  on  the  contrary  the  woodland  seems 
to  be  increasing,  and  it  is  much  more  common  to  see 
young  thickets  spreading  out  from  the  woods  upon  the 
plain,  than  to  behold  the  stumps  and  trunks  of  trees 
which  had  been  killed  by  fire.  But  a  conclusive  argu- 
ment is,  that  the  destruction  of  the  forest  by  fire,  for 
which  the  -writer  contends,  would  have  taken  place  on  the 
hills,  and  on  broken  grounds,  as  well  as  on  the  level,  while 
the  prairie  only  occupies  the  latter. 

In  the  very  interesting  narrative  of  Long's  First  Expe- 
dition to  the  west,  we  find  a  statement  similar  to  that 
which  we  have  quoted,  though  advanced  with  less  confi- 
dence.    "  The  lands  immediately  in  the  rear  of  St.  Louis, 

H 


86  THEORY    OF    THE    PRAIRIES. 

between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Missouri,  below  their 
junction,  have  an  undulated  surface,  and  a  deep  alluvial 
soil.  Since  their  occupation  by  permanent  inhabitants, 
the  yearly  ravages  of  the  fire  have  been  prevented,  and  a 
dense  growth  of  oaks  and  elms  has  sprung  up." 

"  In  this  fact  we  have  a  satisfactory  explanation  of  the 
cause  of  the  present  want  of  forest  trees  in  extensive  tracts 
on  the  Missouri,  which  appear,  in  every  respect,  adapted 
to  the  growth  of  timber.  If  these  lands,  called  prairies, 
ivere  at  any  former  period  covered  with  forests,  it  may 
easily  be  supposed,  the  yearly  devastations  of  fires  break- 
ing out  in  dry  seasons,  would  destroy  many  of  the  trees. 
The  forests  being  thus  broken,  the  growth  of  grass  and 
annual  plants  would  be  greatly  facilitated  by  the  naked- 
ness of  the  soil,  and  the  free  admission  of  the  rays  of  the 
sun.  Forests  attract  rain,  and  impede  evaporation,  while 
the  reverberation  from  the  surface  of  vast  plains  and  des- 
erts, tends  to  dissipate  the  clouds  and  vapors  which  are 
driven  over  them  by  the  winds.  In  fertile  districts  like 
the  alluvial  lands  of  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi,  a  heavy 
annual  growth  of  herbaceous  plants  is  produced,  which, 
after  the  autumnal  frosts,  becomes  dry  and  peculiarly  adapt- 
ed to  facilitate  and  extend  the  ravages  of  fire.  In  a  coun- 
try occupied  by  hunters,  who  are  kindling  their  camp 
fires  in  every  part  of  the  forest,  and  who  often  like  the 
Mongalls  in  the  grassy  deserts  of  Asia,  set  fire  to  the 
plains,  in  order  to  attract  herbivorous  animals,  by  the 
growth  of  tender  and  nutritious  herbage  which  springs 
up  soon  after  the  burning,  it  is  easy  to  see  these  annual 
conflagrations  could  not  fail  to  happen." 

"In  the  Autumn  of  1819  the  burnings,  owing  to  the 
Unusual  drought,  continued  until  very  late  in  the  season, 
so  that  the  weeds  in  the  low  grounds  were  consumed,  to 
the  manifest  injury  of  the  forests.  Large  bodies  of  tim- 
ber are  so  frequently  destroyed  in  this  way,  that  the  ap- 


THEORY    OF    THE    PRAIRIES.  87 

pearance   has   become  familiar  to  hunters  and   travelers, 
and  has  received  the  name  of  deadening," 

To  this  statement,  taken  altogether,  we  have  no  objec- 
tion, as  it  does  not  differ  materially  from  our  own  views. 
If  the  plains, — as  the  author  cautiously  suggests,  were  at 
any  former  period  covered  with  forest,  there  is  no  other 
agent  than  fire,  by  means  of  which  they  could  have  become 
denuded.  And  the  admission,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  quo- 
tation, that  an  unusual  drought,  continuing  late  in  the 
season,  is  necessary  to  carry  the  tire  into  the  low  grounds, 
and  render  it  injurious  to  the  forests,  is  all  that  we  could 
ask,  to  shew  that  these  are  exceptions,  whose  occasional 
occurrence  could  not  produce  an  effect  so  invariable*  as  the 
non-existence  of  timber  on  the  plains  of  the  west. 

Major  Stoddard,  in  his  Sketches  of  Louisiana,  hold?  the 
following  language :  "  The  prairies  are  covered  with 
grass.  These  were  probably  occasioned  by  the  ravages 
of  fire  ;  because  whenever  copses  of  trees  are  found  on 
them,  the  ground  about  them  is  low,  and  too  moist  to  ad 
mit  the  fire  to  pass  over  it." 

An  opinion  differing  from  all  these  is  expressed  by  the 
enterprising  traveler,  Pike,  who  in  speaking  of  the  prairies 
attributes  their  destitution  of  timber,  to  a  deficiency  of 
moisture  in  the  soil  and  climate.  "  I  therefore  consider,' 
says  he,  "  that  this  country  never  was  timbered,  as  from 
the  earliest  ages,  the  aridity  of  the  soil,  having  so  few 
water  courses  running  through  it,  and  they  being  princi- 
pally dry  in  summer,  has  never  afforded  moisture  suffi- 
cient to  support  the  growth  of  timber."  This  argument 
might  apply,  with  sufficient  plausibility,  to  the  deserts  of 
Arabia,  and  to  the  sand  plains  lying  east  of  the  Rocky 
mountains,  where  there  is  not  enough  of  moisture  to  afford 
nourishment  to  any  vegetation ;  but  the  character  of  our 
prairies  is  not  that  of  barrenness.  The  plain  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi is  dry,  but  not  so  arid  as  to  be  incapable  of  sup- 
porting vegetable  life.  The  luxuriance  of  the  wild  growth, 


88  THEORY    OF    THE    PRAIRIES. 

and  the  admirable  adaptation  of  the  soil  to  the  purposes 
of  husbandry,  afford  conclusive  evidence  that  although 
the  surface  be  parched,  there  is  some  process  by  which 
nature  affords  an  ample  supply  of  moisture :  and  this  is 
probably  by  the  ascension  of  v\Tater  by  capillary  attraction, 
through  the  porous  substrata,  from  the  subterranean  cur- 
rents, which  are  known  to  be  abundant,  and  to  lie  near 
the  surface.  General  Pike  wrote  before  any  part  of  the 
prairie  region  was  settled  by  the  American  people,  when 
but  little  of  it  had  been  explored,  and  when  the  facts  to 
which  we  have  alluded  in  support  of  our  views,  had  not 
been  ascertained. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  the  prairies  were  caused  by 
hurricanes,  which  had  blown  down  the  timber,  and  left  it 
in  a  condition  to  be  consumed  by  fire,  after  it  was  dried 
by  lying  on  the  ground.  A  single  glance  at  the  immense 
region  in  which  the  prairie  surface  predominates,  must 
refute  this  idea.  Hurricanes  are  quite  limited  in  their 
sphere  of  action.  Although  they  sometimes  extend  for 
many  miles  in  length,  their  track  is  always  narrow,  and 
often  but  a  few  hundred  yards  in  breadth.  And  it  is  a 
well  known  fact,  that  wherever  the  timber  has  been  thus 
prostrated,  a  dense  and  tangled  thicket  shoots  up  imme- 
diately, and  protected  by  the  fallen  trees,  grows  with  un- 
common vigor. 

Some  have  imagined  that  our  prairies  have  been  lakes  ; 
but  this  hypothesis  is  not  tenable.  If  the  whole  state  of 
Illinois  is  imagined  to  have  been  one  lake,  it  ought  to  be 
shewn  that  it  has  a  general  concavity  of  surface.  But  so 
far  from  this  being  true,  the  contrary  is  the  fact :  the  high- 
est parts  of  the  state  are  in  its  centre.  If  we  suppose, 
as  some  assert,  that  each  prairie  was  once  a  lake,  we  are 
met  by  the  same  objection  ;  as  a  general  rule,  the  prairies 
are  highest  in  the  middle,  and  have  a  gradual  declivity 
towards  the  sides  ;  and  when  we  reach  the  timber,  instead 
of  finding  banks  corresponding  with  the  shores  of  a  lake, 


THEORY    OF    THE    PRAIRIES.  89 

we  almost  invariably  discover  valleys,  ravines,  and  water 
courses,  considerably  depressed  below  the  general  level 
of  the  plain.  Nor  does  the  circumstance  of  ponds  being 
found  in  the  middle  of  prairies,  disprove  the  assertion  that 
they  are  convex,  and  highest  in  the  centre,  as  is  suggest- 
ed by  one  of  our  writers,  any  more  than  depressions  on 
the  surface  of  the  globe,  prove  that  it  is  not  round.  There 
cannot  be  the  least  ground  for  a  doubt,  that,  as  a  general 
rule,  the  prairie  surface  is  slightly,  but  decidedly,  convex. 
Wherever  hills  are  found  rising  above  the  common  plane 
of  the  country,  they  are  clothed  with  timber ;  and  the 
same  fact  is  true  of  all  broken  lands.  This  affords  addi- 
tional evidence  in  support  of  our  theory.  Most  of  the 
land  in  such  situations  is  poor ;  the  grass  would  be  short, 
and  if  it  burned  at  all,  would  occasion  but  little  heat.  In 
some  places  the  progress  of  the  fire  would  be  checked  by 
rocks  and  ravines  ;  and  in  no  case  would  there  be  that 
accumulation  of  dry  material  which  is  found  on  the  fer- 
tile plain,  nor  that  broad  unbroken  surface,  and  free  ex* 
posure,  which  are  required  to  afford  full  scope  to  the 
devouring  element. 

There  are  other  facts,  too  well  known  to  admit  of  dis- 
pute, which  strongly  corroborate  these  views.  It  is  un- 
deniable, that  from  the  first  settlement  of  the  western 
prairies,  the  timber  has  been  rapidly  increasing  ;  and 
from  the  best  information  that  we  can  get  on  the  subject, 
it  is  pretty  certain,  that  it  spreads  in  a  proportion  at  least 
equal  to  the  increase  of  population.  Although  thousands 
of  acres  of  woodland  are  annually  cleared,  it  is  unques- 
tionably true,  that  the  quantity  of  timber  in  the  whole 
region  in  which  prairies  are  embraced,  is  increasing  with 
every  year.  Wherever  a  prairie,  of  but  few  miles  in  ex- 
tent, is  entirely  surrounded  by  the  farms  which  occupy 
the  adjoining  woodland,  it  is  found  that  the  wild  grass  is 
quickly  succeeded  by  a  growth  of  weeds,  and  that  these 
in  turn  give  place    to   bushes.     The  operation  is  simple, 

n  2 


90  THEORY    OF    THE    PRAIRIES. 

We  have  already  shown,  that  the  growth  of  timber  is  only 
prevented  by  the  annual  fires  ;  and  it  is  easily  seen  that 
where  a  portion  of  the  prairie  is  insulated,  as  above  de- 
scribed, the  precautions  used  by  the  farmers,  to  defend 
their  own  property  from  the  devouring  element,  will  also 
protect  that  portion  of  the  prairie  which  is  thus  detached 
from  the  main  body.  The  large  herds  of  domestic  cattle, 
also,  which  run  at  large  in  the  new  settlements,  contribute 
to  this  process,  by  keeping  down  the  luxuriance  of  the 
natural  grass,  so  as  to  leave  but  little  fuel  for  the  fire, 
even  in  places  exposed  to  its  approach.  It  is  therefore  a 
common  observation,  that  around  all  the  farms,  the  prairie 
has  given,  or  is  giving  way,  to  thickets.  In  the  oldest 
counties,  where  settlements  have  existed  for  twenty  or 
thirty  years,  forests  of  excellent  timber  are  now  shown, 
of  several  miles  in  extent,  the  whole  of  which  has  grown 
up  within  the  memory  of  the  inhabitants.  So  rapid,  and 
so  certain,  is  this  process,  that  we  may  state  the  fact  as 
undeniable,  that  wherever  the  soil  is  protected  from  the 
action  of  the  fire,  timber  will  grow  spontaneously,  which, 
in  from  sixteen  to  twenty  years,  will  be  fit  to  be  used  for 
fuel,  fencing,  and  many  other  purposes. 

An  instance  of  the  facility  with  which  the  soil,  when 
protected  from  fire  becomes  covered  with  timber,  occur- 
red under  the  notice  of  the  writer.  An  individual  had 
enclosed  a  single  field  in  the  prairie,  in  which  corn  was 
cultivated  for  several  years,  when  it  was  abandoned,  and 
the  rails  which  composed  the  fence  carried  away.  In 
the  mean  while  the  corners  of  the  fence,  and  a  narrow 
strip  on  each  side  of  it,  having  been  protected  from  the  fire 
on  the  one  hand,  and  the  plough  on  the  other,  grew  up 
in  bushes.  After  the  field  was  deserted,  this  natural 
hedge  remained  for  years,  and  still  remains ;  having 
grown  up  into  a  row  of  tall  trees,  occupying  the  former 
'ine  of  the  fence,  while  the  interior  of  the  square  became 


THEORY    OF    THE    TRAIRLES.  91 

also  covered  with  brushwood ;  and  thus  a  grove  has  been 
formed  which  bids  defiance  to  the  lire. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  we  have  maintained  that  the 
earth  was  coveml  with  grass,  antecedently  to  the  growth 
of  trees.  We  admitted  that  on  the  margins  of  streams, 
upon  mountains,  and  on  broken  grounds, — wherever,  in 
short,  the  progress  of  the  autumnal  fires  should  be  inter- 
cepted, either  by  the  conformation,  or  the  moisture,  of 
the  surface,  timber  would  rapidly  cover  the  ground,  while 
at  the  same  time  we  contended,  that  in  the  open  plains 
grass  would  long  continue  to  hold  possession.  We  have 
given  ample  proof  of  the  correctness  of  this  theory,  in 
reference  to  our  western  prairies  ;  and  we  shall  now  show 
that  it  is  probably  true  of  other  parts  of  the  United  States. 

In  the  "  Memoirs  of  the  Historical  Society  of  Pennsyl- 
vania," we  find  an  article  entitled  "  Sketches  of  the  early 
history  of  Byberry  in  the  county  of  Philadelphia,  by  Isaac 
Comly,"  a  worthy  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and 
a  descendant  of  the  companions  of  Penn.  Byberry  town- 
ship lies  in  the  north  east  end  of  the  county  of  Philadel- 
phia, distant  from  the  city  between  thirteen  and  sixteen 
miles.  The  account  is  compiled  from  the  most  authentic 
sources,  and  reaches  back  to  the  first  settlement  of  the 
country.  The  writer  says,  "  Byberry  was  settled  early 
after  the  arrival  of  William  Penn.  When  the  white  peo- 
ple first  came  here,  we  are  informed  they  f omul  but  few 
large  trees  standing,  though  plenty  of  saplings  and  un- 
derbruslt  ;  and  in  some  places,  particularly  in  Mooreland, 
the  ground  was  covered  with  coarse  grass,  as  high  as  a 
man's  head."  This  is  a  very  striking  passage.  It  seems, 
that  there  were  prairies  in  Philadelphia  county !  and  that 
the  ground  ivas  covered  ivith  coarse  grass  that  grew  as 
high  as  a  mail's  head,  answering  precisely  to  the  des- 
cription of  the  prairie  grass  of  the  West.  Other  spots 
were  destitute  of  large  trees,  but  produced  "  plenty  of  sap- 
lings and  underbrush," — being  in  the  state  intermediate 


92  THEORY    OF    THE    PRAIRIES. 

between  prairie  and  forest,  and  thus  affording-  the  strong- 
est proof  of  the  change  which  the  country  had  then  re- 
cently undergone. 

In  another  volume  of  the  transactions  of  the  same  socie- 
ty, we  have  "  An  account  of  the  first  settlement  of  the 
townships  of  Buckingham  and  Solesbury,  in  Bucks  county, 
Pennsylvania,  by  Dr.  Joseph  Watson," — a  gentleman 
who  died  some  few  years  ago,  at  an  advanced  age,  and 
whose  own  recollections,  with  the  accounts  transmitted  to 
him  by  his  father  and  grandfather,  the  latter  of  whom 
came  out  with  William  Penn,  supplied  him  with  the  most 
authentic  information.  Speaking  of  the  employments  o** 
the  first  settlers,  he  says,  "  they  cut  grass  in  the  plains, 
or  swamps,  often  at  several  miles  from  home,  stacked  it 
up  on  the  spot,  and  hauled  it  home  in  the  winter."  The 
counties  of  Bucks  and  Philadelphia,  lie  adjoining,  if  we 
mistake  not,  and  occupy  an  extensive  undulating  plain  on 
the  margin  of  the  Delaware  ;  and  we  think  that  the  evi- 
dence of  the  two  writers,  who  state  the  facts  above  quoted, 
incidentally,  without  any  view  to  the  support  of  a  theory, 
sufficiently  proves  the  former  existence  of  prairies  in  that 
region ;  while  their  non-existence  within  the  memory  of 
the  present  inhabitants,  shews  also  the  rapidity  with 
which,  after  settlements  are  made,  timber  will  cover  the 
interjacent  plains. 

The  first  settlers  of  Kentucky  found  large  tracts  of  the 
country  destitute  of  trees,  and  covered  with  bushes.  Sup- 
posing that  the  want  of  timber  was  caused  by  the  sterility 
of  the  soil,  or  some  other  circumstance  unfriendly  to  vege- 
tation, they  gave  to  these  spots,  the  expressive  name  of 
"  the  barrens,"  and  carefully  avoided  them  in  making 
their  selections  of  land.  The  barrens,  were  extensive 
plains,  interspersed  with  hill  and  dale — not  so  level  as 
the  prairies,  north  and  west  of  the  Ohio,  yet  not  broken 
by  deep  ravines,  or  abrupt  ridges.  It  was  soon  discover- 
ed that  the  bushes  were  growing  up  into  thrifty  saplings  ; 


THEORY    OF    THE    TRAIRIES.  93 

and  on  farther  examination  the  soil  was  found  to  be  of 
good  quality.  The  country  was  soon  occupied,  and  now 
contains  a  large  population ;  while  forests  of  valuable  tim- 
ber are  growing  upon  the  soil,  over  which,  within  the 
memory  of  living  witnesses,  the  hunter  could  see  the  deer 
bounding  over  the  brush,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 

Trumbull  in  his  "  History  of  Connecticut,"  a  work 
compiled  with  great  care  and  labor,  from  the  most  au- 
thentic sources,  speaks  in  various  places  of  the  practice 
of  the  early  settlers,  of  cutting  hay  from  the  wild  meadows : 
a  phraseology  which  distinctly  asserts  the  existence  of 
plains,  covered  with  grass,  and  destitute  of  timber.  He 
also  describes  these  natural  meadows,  and  gives  his  own 
inferences  as  to  their  formation.     He  says, 

"  When  the  English  became  first  acquainted  with  that 
tract,  comprised  within  the  settled  part  of  Connecticut;  it 
was  a  vast  wilderness.  There  were  no  pleasant  fields, 
nor  gardens,  no  public  roads,  nor  cleared  plats.  Except 
in  places  where  the  timber  had  been  destroyed,  and  its 
growth  prevented  by  frequent  fires,  the  groves  were  thick 
and  lofty.  The  Indians  so  often  burned  the  country,  to 
take  deer  and  other  wild  game,  that  in  many  of  the  plain 
dry  parts  of  it,  there  was  but  little  small  timber.  Where 
the  lands  were  thus  burned,  there  grew  bent  grass,  or,  as 
some  called  it,  thatch,  two,  three,  and  four  feet  high,  ac- 
cording to  the  strength  of  the  land.  This,  with  other 
combustible  matter  which  the  fields  and  groves  produced, 
when  dry  in  the  spring  and  fall,  burned  with  violence  and 
killed  all  the  small  trees.  The  large  ones  escaped,  and 
generally  grew  to  a  notable  height  and  magnitude.  In 
this  manner  the  natives  so  thinned  the  groves,  that  they 
were  able  to  plant  their  corn  and  obtain  a  crop." 

This  statement  is  undoubtedly  accurate  so  far  as  the 
author  has  related  the  facts  which  came  down  to  him  ; 
while  so  much  as  is  the  result  of  his  own  attempt  at  ex- 
planation is  fallacious.     There  were  plains,  which  were 


94  THEORY    OF    THE    PRAIRIES. 

annually  burned,  on  which  grass  grew,  and  where  the 
Indians  raised  corn.  But  corn  never  grew  under  the 
shade  of  large  trees  of  ''notable"  growth.  Whatever 
might  have  been  true  of  other  places,  the  spots  on  which 
the  grass  grew  four  feet  high,  and  where  corn  was  culti- 
vated, must  have  been  entirely  exposed  to  the  action  of 
the  sun. 

Captain  Smith,  on  the  contrary,  found  the  whole  of 
Virginia  covered  with  timber,  and  is  careful  to  record  that 
he  saw  no  plains,  "  but  only  where  the  Salvages  inhabit, 
but  all  overgrown  with  trees  and  weeds,  being  a  plaine 
wildernesse  as  God  first  made  it." 

Captain  Owen,  of  the  British  navy,  in  a  late  voyage  to 
the  coast  of  Africa,  of  which  an  interesting  account  has 
been  published,  describes  a  large  tract  of  the  interior 
which  he  explored,  as  "  a  low  level  country,  with  some 
knots  of  trees,  like  park  land  ;"  and  from  other  allusions 
in  the  same  book,  we  suppose  that  he  often  met  with  ex- 
tensive plains  of  wild  meadow,  precisely  similar  to  those 
of  Illinois  and  Missouri.  The  fact  may  pass  for  what  it 
is  worth.  We  adduce  it  for  the  purpose  of  shewing  that 
there  is  nothing  in  the  character  of  our  prairies  so  anoma- 
lous, or  so  contrary  to  the  laws  of  nature,  as  is  supposed 
by  those  who  have  been  accustomed  to  see  wild  lands 
clothed  with  timber. 


SOIL    OF    THE    PRAIRIES.  95 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Soil  of  the  Prairies — Explanations  in  regard  to  the  want  of  timber. 

Fanciful  writers  have  divided  the  prairies  into  alluvial 
and  rolling ;  but  no  such  distinction  exists  in  point  of 
fact,  or  is  tenable   according  to  any  received  theory,  or 
scientilic   deduction.     The  formation  of  the  whole  is  so 
invariable  in  character,  as  to  render  it  certain,  that  if  any 
part  is  alluvial,  the  whole  is  equally  so,  nor  do  those  plains 
whicli  are  rolling,  as  nearly  all  are,  differ  in  soil  from  the 
remainder,  so  as  to  justify  this  sort  of  classification.     The 
probability  is  that  the  whole  western   plain   is   diluvial, 
with  the  exception  only  of  the  bottom  lands  on  the  mar- 
gins of  rivers,  which  are  alluvial,  and  of  recent  formation. 
The  levelness  of  the  surface,  the  absence  of  stones,  the 
light  quality  of  the  loam,  with  other  indications,  seem  to 
establish  the  fact,  that  this  vast  plain  is  composed  of  the 
sediment,   deposited   at   the   universal   deluge.     Marine 
shells  have  been  found  in  our  prairies ;  at  one  place  par- 
ticularly, an  immense  mass  of  oyster  shells  lie  deposited 
not  far  below  the  surface.     Logs  have  been  discovered, 
buried  thirty  or  forty  feet  deep.     Boulders,  or  detached 
masses  of  stone,  are  occasionally  seen  on  the  prairies,  ly- 
ing loosely  on  the  ground,  not  only  entirely  separate  from 
the  limestone  pan   beneath,  but  differing  from  it  in  kind. 
They  are  obviously  not  meteoric  ;  and  it  seems  that  they 
have  been  wrenched  from  their  native  beds,  and  brought 
to  the   places  where   they  are  now  seen,  by  some   great 
convulsion  of  nature.     They  are  granite,  and  there  is  no 
spot  at  which  that  description   of   rock   exists,  and  from 
which  they  could    have   been    brought,  nearer  than  the 
Allegheny,  or  the    Rocky  mountains,   or   the    northern 
shores  of  the  lakes.     Yet  they  are  numerously  scattered 
throughout  Illinois  and  Missouri. 


96  SOIL    OF    THE    PRAIRIES. 

The  great  cause  of  the  amazing  fertility  of  the  soil  of 
new  countries,  is,  the  accumulation  of  decayed  vegetable 
matter  upon  the  surface.  The  leaves  and  grass,  and  other 
annual  productions,  which  decay  in  the  autumn,  cover  the 
ground  every  year  with  a  new  coat,  of  the  most  fertilizing 
quality.  The  boughs  which  are  continually  falling,  the 
bark,  of  which  most  trees  throw  off  a  portion  annually, 
and  the  trees  themselves,  which  are  torn  up  by  tempests, 
or  die  of  old  age,  form  altogether  an  inexhaustible  store, 
which  continually  rotting  and  adding  to  the  soil,  is  as 
continually  receiving  and  preparing  new  supplies.  The 
plains  as  well  as  the  woodland,  are  thus  enriched.  The 
annual  burning  of  the  prairies,  may  interfere  to  a  consider- 
able extent  with  this  arrangement,  but  it  does  not  defeat 
it ;  for  although  the  fall  of  the  leaf  occurs  emphatically 
and  poetically  in  the  autumn,  it  is  not  confined  exclusive- 
ly to  that  season.  On  the  contrary,  every  vegetable  is 
constantly  throwing  off  a  portion  of  its  substance,  and 
throughout  the  whole  season  of  vegetation,  the  soil  is  daily 
gaining  something,  by  deposit ;  even  the  ashes  left  by  the 
autumnal  fires,  are  not  without  their  value.  However 
thin  the  coat  may  be,  which  is  spread  over  the  earth  in 
one  year,  and  how  trifling  soever  it  may  seem  to  us,  yet, 
when  we  reflect  that  this  process  has  been  going  on  for 
ages,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  the  accumulation  must,  in  the 
aggregate,  be  important.  Nor  can  we  in  any  other  ration- 
al manner,  explain  the  reason  of  the  difference  between 
new  lands,  and  those  which  have  been  exhausted  by  cul- 
tivation. The  one  is  continually  losing  by  exposure  to 
the  sun  and  atmosphere,  while  its  products  are  carried 
away  by  man ;  the  contrary  is  true  of  the  other,  and  the 
fanner  who  manures  his  land,  only  resorts  to  a  simple 
operation  of  nature. 

The  decomposed  vegetable  matter,  when  completely 
rotted,  forms  a  light  black  mould,  which  is  the  very  rich- 
est and  best  manure  in  the  world  ;  and  which,  if  used 


SOIL    OF    THE    PRAIRIES.  97 

simply  as  such,  would  be  prized  by  the  European  farmer, 
above  every  other  substance,  which  is  usually  applied  to 
that  purpose.  A  soil  of  unrivalled  fertility  is  thus  formed, 
extending  throughout  the  whole  country,  but  differing  in 

depth,  according  to  circumstances.  The  light  particles, 
of  which  it  is  composed,  are  easily  washed  by  rains,  from 
the  higher  into  the  lower  grounds.  The  valleys  thus  re- 
ceive new  supplies,  in  addition  to  that  which  their  own 
vegetation  affords,  while  the  hills  only  retain  the  small 
portions  which  may  be  intercepted  by  the  grass  or  fibrous 
roots,  or  by  other  accidental  causes.  On  the  low  grounds, 
therefore,  the  stratum  of  mould  has  been  found  to  be,  in 
some  instances,  twelve  feet  deep  ;  while  on  the  hills,  it  is 
seldom  more  than  a  few  inches.  This  process  can,  of 
course,  only  prevail  in  the  hilly  and  timbered  regions,  to 
any  extent ;  and  it  is  thus  that  those  rich  bottoms  are 
created,  which  margin  all  the  streams,  and  those  fertile 
valleys,  which  astonish  every  beholder  with  the  rankness 
and  beauty  of  the  vegetation  that  covers  them.  A  differ- 
ent operation  obtains  upon  the  prairie,  whose  level  surface 
is  not  washed  by  rains.  Here  the  accumulation  is  con- 
tinual, though  slow  ;  all  that  is  gained  is  kept ;  and  the 
diluvian  plain  is  covered  with  a  rich  vegetable  mould, 
which  is  always  increasing  in  depth. 

It  has  been  remarked,  and  there  is  no  doubt  of  the  fact, 
that  the  highest  points  of  the  prairie  are  invariably  the 
richest ;  a  circumstance  which  cannot  be  readily  account- 
ed for,  unless  we  suppose  that  these  lands  are  diluvial, 
and  that  those  spots  would  be  richest,  at  which  the  larg- 
est masses  of  diluvium  were  accumulated.  It  is  easy  to 
imagine  the  varieties  which  must  occur,  on  these  princi- 
ples, between  the  extremes  which  we  have  suggested. 
The  exceptions  are  numerous  and  depend  chiefly  on  the 
quality  of  the  subsoil ;  if  too  porous  it  absorbs  the  ferti- 
lizing juices  ;  if  impervious  to  water,  it  retains  too  large 

I 


98  EXPLANATIONS    IN    REGARD    TO 

a  proportion  of  that  element  on  the  surface,  and  forms 
what  are  called  wet  prairies. 

Having  thrown  out  these  hints,  it  is  only  necessary  to 
add,  briefly,  that  the  soil  is  a  rich  black  mould,  containing 
an  admixture  of  fine  silicious  sand.  It  is  supposed  to 
contain  a  portion  of  decomposed  limestone,  and  is  warm, 
quick,  and  lively.  Its  depth  is  as  remarkable  as  its  won- 
derful productiveness. 

We  pass  now  to  some  points  of  immediate  practical 
importance  to  the  agricultural  population  of  our  valley, 
which  have  not  been  understood  abroad.  When  the  eye 
of  the  experienced  farmer,  roves  for  the  first  time  over  the 
prairies  of  the  west,  he  is  struck  with  the  dreariness  of 
the  prospect.  That  which  is  beautiful  and  picturesque 
to  another,  conveys  no  corresponding  sensations  to  the 
mind  of  one  who  views  it  simply  in  relation  to  its  capa- 
city for  the  support  of  man,  and  the  business  of  life.  The 
absence  of  timber,  seems  to  him  an  evil  without  remedy, 
and  in  his  judgment  millions  of  acres  appear  destined  to 
bloom  in  eternal  wilderness.  So  obvious  is  this  view  of 
the  case,  that  we  frequently  hear  the  remark,  from  judicious 
men,  that  but  for  the  want  of  timber,  the  advantages  of 
Illinois  and  Missouri,  as  agricultural  states,  would  stand 
unrivalled.  An  attentive  examination  of  this  question  in 
all  its  bearings,  will  shew  that  this  conclusion  is  falla- 
cious, and  that  in  fact,  the  supply  of  this  indispensable 
article,  is  as  abundant  at  this  time,  as  its  future  increase 
in  quantity  is  certain. 

We  have  explained  the  manner  in  which  the  forest  and 
prairie  are  interspersed  throughout  our  country,  and  have 
shown  that  the  former  is  found  skirting  the  shores  of  all 
our  rivers,  and  smaller  water  courses.  Such  are  the  situ- 
ations, as  regards  locality,  in  which  the  first  inhabitants 
always  choose  to  settle,  for  the  purpose  of  enjoying  the 
united  advantages  of  wood  and  water ;  and  the  vicinity 
of  navigable  streams  holds  out  other  strong  inducements. 


THE    WANT    OF    TIMBER.  99 

The  open  prairies,  or  those  parts  of  the  country  which 
are  now  destitute  of  timber,  being  invariably  the  most 
distant  from  living  streams,  would  of  course,  as  a  general 
rule,  be  the  last  to  he  settled,  even  if  all  the  surface  was 
alike  covered  with  wood.  {Such  has  been  the  actual  pro- 
cess of  settlement.  The  margins  of  the  large  rivers  were 
rirst  settled,  the  inhabitants  tenaciously  adhering  to  the 
rich  bottom  lands,  in  spite  of  their  dampness  and  insalu- 
britv,  and  in  defiance  of  the  immense  masses  of  heavy 
timber,  which  rendered  the  clearing  of  those  lands  a  gigan- 
tic labor.  More  recently  the  prairie  lands  have  acquired 
reputation,  and  the  emigration  has  flowed  towards  the  in- 
terior parts  of  the  new  states.  But  the  settler,  in  forsak- 
ing the  margins  of  the  large  rivers,  pursues  the  meanders 
of  the  smaller  streams,  and  selects  his  farm  on  the  edge 
of  a  prairie,  where  he  may  enjoy  the  combined  advantages 
of  timber  and  plain. 

For  the  present  population,  the  quantity  of  timber  is 
amply  sufficient ;  and  so  small  a  portion  of  the  timbered 
lands  is  yet  occupied,  as  to  justify  the  assertion  that 
enough  remains  to  supply  all  the  inhabitants  which  these 
states  may  be  reasonably  expected  to  contain  for  the  next 
half  century.  There  are  exceptions  to  these  statements : 
instances  in  which  settlements  have  spread  over  an  entire 
prairie,  and  artificial  means  have  been  adopted  for  supply- 
ing the  want  of  wood ;  hut  we  shall  show  presently,  that 
these  cases  go  to  prove  the  correctness  of  our  views.  We 
assume  the  positions,  that  at  present  the  settlements  are 
generally  confined  to  the  woodlands  and  adjoining  prairies, 
where  is  found  an  abundant  supply  of  timber  ;  and  that  a 
very  small  proportion,  in  comparison  to  the  whole  of  the 
timbered  binds,  is  thus  occupied.  The  remainder  stands 
open  to  new  settlers,  while  nature  has  made  ample  pro- 
vision for  future  generations. 

We  have  seen,  moreover,  that  as  the  country  becomes 
settled,  the  timber  rapidly  increases.     We  need  not  add 


100  EXPLANATIONS    IN    REGARD    TO 

to  what  we  have  said  on  this  point.  We  think  that  we 
have  shown  conclusively  that  there  have  been  numberless 
instances  in  this,  and  other  parts  of  our  continent,  in  which 
forests  have  grown  up,  within  the  memory  of  man,  with- 
out the  aid  of  any  effort  of  human  ingenuity  ;  and  we  can 
imagine  no  reason  why  the  same  process  should  not  con- 
tinue to  be  carried  forward.  On  the  contrary,  we  have 
seen  this  munificent  operation  of  nature  proceeding  regu- 
larly through  a  long  series  of  years  ;  and  as  we  believe  it 
to  be  the  result  of  those  immutable  laws  of  nature,  which 
pervade  all  ages  and  countries,  we  have  no  right  to  sup- 
pose that  the  future  will  not  resemble  the  past.  A  care- 
ful examination  of  the  subject  must  convince  any  rational 
mind,  that  there  will  always,  during  the  whole  process  of 
the  settlement  of  this  wide  region,  be  land  enough  reclaim- 
ed from  prairie,  and  covered  with  timber,  within  each 
generation  of  inhabitants,  to  supply  the  increase  of  popu- 
lation which  may  have  occurred  during  that  time,  until 
the  whole  country  shall  be  thus  supplied  with  a  due  pro- 
portion of  wood. 

But  we  are  met  here  with  another  consideration,  which 
is  worthy  of  notice.  The  question  arises,  whether  the 
race  of  farmers,  now  rising  up  in  our  country,  will  require 
timber  in  as  large  quantities  as  their  predecessors.  We 
reply  that  they  certainly  will  not.  Whenever  an  article 
is  abundant,  it  will  be  used  with  profusion  ;  when  scarce, 
economy  will  be  practiced  in  its  consumption.  American 
farmers  have  been  accustomed  to  reside  in  the  vicinity, 
or  in  the  bosom  of  immense  forests,  and  to  enjoy  the  use 
of  wood  without  stint.  Not  only  has  it  been  unnecessary 
to  economise  in  this  article  ,-  but  every  where  in  the 
United  States,  except  latterly  in  a  few  districts,  the 
destruction  of  timber  has  been  a  desirable  object,  and  has 
constituted  an  unavoidable  and  laborious  part  of  the  busi- 
ness of  the  husbandman.  Wood  has  therefore  been  used 
with  prodigality,  for  all  the  purposes  to  which  it  is  neces- 


THE    WANT    OF    TIMBER.  101 

sarily  applied;  while  it  baa  also  been  substituted  in  num- 
berless instances,  for  substances  which,  under  other  cir 
cumstances,  would  have  been  more  suitable.  Not  to 
speak  of  wooden  houses,  bridges,  and  roaih — of  wood  for 
fuel  and  fencing — we  lind  it  adopted  in  the  west  for  pur- 
poses more  anomalous,  where  wooden  pins  are  substituted 
for  nails,  and  wells  are  curbed  with  hollow  logs,  where 
the  cabin  door  swinging  on  wooden  hinges,  is  fastened 
with  a  wooden  latch,  and  the  smoke  escapes  through  a 
wooden  chimney.  Engineers  have  proposed  to  substitute 
wood-work  for  masonry  in  the  construction  of  railways 
and  canal  locks  ;  and  it  is  said  that  an  eminent  lawyer  in 
Missouri,  had  a  very  convenient  office,  made  of  a  single 
section  sawed  from  a  hollow  sycamore.  Well  may  ours 
be  called  a  wooden  country ;  not  merely  from  the  extent 
of  its  forests,  but  because  in  common  use  wood  has  been 
substituted  for  a  number  of  the  most  necessary  and  com- 
mon articles — such  as  stone,  iron,  and  even  leather. 
Whenever,  therefore,  timber  shall  cease  to  be  cheaper 
than  the  substances  which  might  be  used  in  its  place,  the 
demand  for  it  will  be  proportionally  diminished. 

There  is  still  another  view  of  this  question,  which  is 
important.  That  which  appears  to  the  superficial  obser- 
ver as  a  defect,  is,  in  truth,  one  of  the  greatest  sources 
of  the  prosperity  of  our  country.  The  labor  of  clearing 
woodland,  is  the  most  arduous  task  to  which  the  western 
farmer  is  subjected,  and  has  constituted  in  itself,  the 
greatest  drawback  to  the  rapid  growth  of  the  new  states. 
Where  the  soil  is  rich,  the  timber  is  generally  heavy  ; 
and  a  lifetime  is  consumed  in  opening  a  farm.  No  one 
but  a  backwoodsman,  accustomed  to  dwell  in  forests,  to 
wield  the  axe,  and  to  depend  mainly  upon  his  rifle  for 
subsistence,  is  fitted  for  this  herculean  enterprise  ;  when 
undertaken  by  the  husbandman  from  the  eastern  states,  it 
has  scarcely  ever  failed  to  produce  the  most  disastrous 
consequences  :  bankruptcy,  disease,  disappointment,  and 

'  \% 


102  EXPLANATIONS    IN    REGARD    TO 

death,  have  traced  his  footsteps,  and  poisoned  his  enjoy- 
ments. If  the  farmer  is  not  sufficiently  wealthy  to  hire 
laborers,  a  few  acres  only  are  annually  reclaimed  from 
the  forest ;  and  even  this  is  effected  by  the  most  laborious 
and  painful  drudgery.  Years  are  consumed,  and  the  in- 
dustrious settler,  sees  the  prime  of  his  manhood  wasted, 
before  he  begins  to  reap  the  fruit  of  his  labors.  If  the 
same  operation  is  attempted  to  be  performed  by  hired 
labor,  the  expense  of  clearing  exceeds  the  value  of  the 
land  when  cleared  ;  while  the  stumps  of  the  trees  remain 
for  many  years,  occupying  a  large  portion  of  the  ground, 
and  greatly  impeding  the  business  of  husbandry.  In  the 
mean  while,  nothing  is  added  to  the  industry  or  trade  of 
the  country,  because  those  who  are  engaged  in  clearing 
lands  can  make  no  produce  for  market. 

Nor  is  this  all.  The  clearing  of  new  lands,  has  always 
been  found  to  be  productive  of  diseases  of  the  most  ma- 
lignant character.  The  settler  builds  his  cabin  in  the 
gloom  of  dense  shadows.  The  vegetable  deposit  of  ages 
is  suddenly  exposed  to  the  glaring  beams  of  the  sun. 
Thousands  of  trees  are  levelled — large  portions  of  which 
are  left  to  rot  on  the  ground.  The  air  is  filled  with  nox- 
ious exhalations ;  and  bilious  fevers  are  the  consequence. 

Far  different  is  the  case  in  our  open  country.  The 
settler  may  always  select,  upon  our  prairies,  land  as  fer- 
tile as  the  richest  river  bottoms  ;  and  by  settling  in  the 
edge  of  the  timber,  combine  every  advantage  afforded  by 
the  latter.  He  finds  the  land  already  cleared,  and  has 
only  to  enclose  it.  The  labor  of  bringing  it  into  culture 
is  comparatively  trifling.  A  heavy  plough  and  a  strong 
team  is  required  the  first  year,  to  turn  over  the  sod.  The 
corn  is  dropped  in  the  furrows,  and  covered  with  a  hoe, 
and  no  other  labor  is  bestowed  upon  it  until  it  is  fit  to 
gather;  because  during  that  year  the  crop  cannot  be 
tended  in  the  ordinary  way,  as  the  sod,  already  bound 
together  by  the  fibrous  roots  of  the  grass,  is  merely  turned 


THE  WANT  OF  TIMBER.  103 

over,  and  not  pulverized  so  as  to  admit  of  tillage.     But 
by  turning  the  grass  down,  exposing  the  roots  to  the  sun, 
and  leaving  the  sod  undisturbed,  it  becomes  mellowed  in 
one  season,  and  while  undergoing  the  process  of  decom- 
position affords  nourishment  to  the  growing  corn.     The 
crop   thus    raised   is   not  abundant,   nor   the    grain  very 
good  ;  but  something  like  half  the  ordinary  crop  is  raised, 
which  amply  pays  for  the  labor  of  planting  and  gathering. 
By  the  ensuing  spring,  the  roots  of  the  wild   grass,  are 
found  to  be  completely  rotted,  and  the  plough  is  put  into 
a  rich,  light  mould,  fit  for  all  the  purposes  of  husbandry. 
The  ordinary  operations  of  farming  may  now  be  conducted 
in  the  usual  way  ;  and  the  labor  of  cultivating  a  light  soil, 
unincumbered  with  rocks  and  stumps,  is  so  trifling  as  to 
leave  time  for  the  farmer  to  improve  his  land  and  build- 
ings.    The  plough  runs  on  a  level  plain  of  rich  mould, 
and  may  be  managed  by  a  half-grown  boy,  as  well  as  by 
the  strongest  ploughman.    In  timber  lands,  newly  cleared, 
ploughing  requires  both  strength  and  skill ;  the  plough 
must  be  sharpened  frequently,  and  is  often  broken  ;  and 
at  last  the  work  goes  on  slowly.     The  difference  in  the 
greater  facility  of  working  prairie  lands  ;  the  saving  in  the 
wear  of  all  implements  of  husbandry  ;  the  economy  of 
time,  and  of  course  the  greater  degree  of  certainty  in  the 
farmer's  calculations  ;    the  enjoyment  of  health — are  so 
great,  as  in  our  opinion,  to  outweigh  any  inconvenience 
which  can  possibly  be  experienced  in  this  country  for  the 
want  of  timber,  even  under  the  most  unfavorable  circum- 
stances.     A  farmer  had  better  settle  in  the  midst  of  a 
prairie,  and  haul  his  fuel  and  rails  five  iniles,  than  under- 
take to  clear  a  farm  in  the  forest.    The  farmers  of  Illinois 
are  beginning  to  be  aware  of  this  fact ;  and  there  are  now 
many  instances  in  which    farmers,  having    purchased  a 
small  piece  of  land  for  timber,  in  the  woodland,  make 
their  farms  at  a  distance  in  the  prairie.     It  is  only  neces- 
sary to  make  a  nice  calculation  of  the  time  consumed  in 


104  THE  WAM1  OF  TIMBER. 

the  transportation  of  wood  for  fuel  and  all  other  purposes 
and  to  observe  how  small  a  proportion  it  bears  to  the 
other  labors  of  a  farm,  in  order  to  satisfy  any  one  who  is 
acquainted  with  the  subject,  that  it  is  really  a  matter  of  no 
importance,  when  brought  into  competition  with  the  ad- 
vantages of  a  prairie  country. 

It  is  to  be  recollected,  that  the  prodigal  consumption 
of  timber,  which  we  now  witness,  will,  in  all  probability, 
be  diminishing  annually,  with  the  improvement  of  the 
country,  and  the  introduction  of  a  variety  of  substitutes 
for  wood.  People  will  not  forever  make  worm  fences, 
live  in  log  cabins,  and  warm  themselves  by  log-heaps 
built  up  in  great  wooden  chimnies,  which  occupy  nearly 
the  whole  gable  end  of  a  house.  In  an  open  champaigne 
country,  it  is  not  possible  that  the  planting  of  hedges  can 
be  long  delayed.  If  they  can  be  used  with  advantage  in 
any  country,  they  certainly  will  succeed  in  ours.  The 
climate  is  well  adapted  to  the  English  white  thorn ;  and 
we  have  several  indigenous  thorns  which  are  admirably 
suited  to  the  purpose.  The  conformation  of  the  country, 
and  its  fertility,  renders  it  easy  to  plant,  to  cultivate,  to 
protect,  and  to  perpetuate  the  hedge  ;  and  every  circum- 
stance combines  to  recommend  this  mode  of  enclosure. 
In  the  greater  part  of  the  prairie  region,  building  stone 
cannot  be  had ;  but  in  such  places,  brick  may  always  be 
substituted  by  those  who  wish  to  build  good  houses.  The 
stratum  of  clay  which  is  found  under  our  soil,  is  well 
suited  for  brick-making,  and  in  most  places  can  be  ob- 
tained, by  removing  the  light  covering  of  loam  which 
forms  the  surface.  As  for  fuel,  there  is  no  difficulty.  No 
part  of  this  country  has  been  explored,  in  which  coal  does 
not  abound ;  that  is  to  say,  there  is  no  extensive  district 
without  it ;  it  is  found  in  the  broken  lands,  and  bluff 
banks  of  all  our  larger  water  courses,  and  though  seldom 
met  with  within  the  area  of  a  prairie,  it  abounds  on  the 
borders  of  all  the  streams  which  meander  among  these 


THE   PRAIRIES WATER.  105 

plains.  That  it  has  not  been  brought  into  use,  at  all,  is 
a  proof  of  what  we  have  asserted,  viz.  that  wood  is  abun- 
dant. Whenever  the  tanner  shall  discover  that  his  forest 
trees  have  become  snllieientk  valuable  to  be  worth  pre- 
serving, he  will  have  recourse  to  those  inexhaustible 
stores  of  fuel  which  Nature  has  treasured  ap  in  the  bow 
els  of  the  earth;  his  fields  will  be  enclosed  with  hedges; 
the  axe  will  cease  its  wanton  devastation  ;  the  demand 
for  timber,  and  the  quantity,  will  regulate  each  other;  and 
men  will  learn  to  believe  the  obvious  truth,  that  there 
never  need  be  a  scarcity  of  that,  which  can  be  preserved 
by  care,  and  produced  by  industry. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Prairies — their  destitution  of  water  explained. 

In  a  practical  point  of  view  the  absence  of  water  is  also 
a  serious  objection  to  the  prairie  region.  No  spring 
bursts  out  upon  these  plains.  This  is  a  truism  ;  for 
wherever  a  stream,  however  small,  trickles  over  the  sur- 
face, the  soil  thus  moistened  becomes  covered  with  timber. 
The  prairie,  therefore,  is  precisely  that  part  of  the  whole 
country,  which  is  destitute  of  living  streams  upon  its  sur- 
face. And  when  it  is  recollected  that  the  greater  part  of 
Illinois,  Missouri,  and  the  territory  lying  north,  west,  and 
south  of  these  states,  is  prairie,  over  which  the  eye  of  the 
traveler  may  rove  for  miles,  without  discovering  a  shrub 
or  tree,  it  will  be  readily  seen  that  the  absence  of  water 
must  be  great 

It  is  true,  that  there  is  a  dearth  of  water  upon  the  sur- 
face. In  the  summer'espeeially,  the  traveler  may  ride  a 
whole  day  without  finding  a  rivulet,  or  even  a  standing 


106  THE  PRAIRIES WATER. 

pool  at  which  he  may  water  his  horse  ;  and  those  who 
traverse  the  unsettled  parts  of  the  country,  complain  of 
this  as  one  of  the  greatest  inconveniences  of  the  journey. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  is  a  fact  equally  well  ascertained, 
that  water  is  every  where  found,  in  great  abundance,  at  a 
distance  of  a  few  feet  below  the  surface.  We  have  known 
but  a  very  few  spots  at  which  water  could  not  be  procured 
by  digging  ;  there  are  few  countries  in  which  the  sinking 
of  wells  is  performed  with  so  much  ease,  or  with  such 
uniform  success.  There  is,  in  general,  no  rock  to  per- 
forate ;  after  removing  the  rich  soil,  a  stratum  of  hard 
clay  presents  itself,  then  gravel,  and  then  another  layer 
of  clay,  all  of  which  are  so  compact  as  to  require  no 
curbing,  during  the  progress  of  the  operation.  The  water 
is  found  in  a  stratum  of  fine  clean  sand.  The  depth  of 
the  wells  varies  from  twelve  to  forty  feet,  but  most  usu- 
ally is  from  eighteen  to  twenty -five  ;  it  very  seldom  varies 
much  from  twenty  feet. 

There  is  therefore,  in  fact,  no  dearth  of  water.     It  is 
present  in  great  abundance,  but  not  in  the  position  most 
desirable  to  the  farmer,  who,  if  settled  at  a  distance  from 
the  woodland,  must  adopt  some  artificial  mode  of  supply- 
ing his  stock,  with  this  indispensable  article.     At  present 
this  want  is  not  felt  as  an  existing  evil ;  and  Ave  think  it 
will  not  become  a  subject  of  complaint  for  many  years, 
for  the  same  reason  which  we  suggested  in  relation  to 
timber.     The  present  inhabitants  of  the  prairie  region, 
are  settled  in  situations  amply  supplied  with  water,  and 
there  is  still  a  great  abundance  of  choice  land  remaining 
vacant,  on  the  margins  of  the  rivers  and  smaller  water 
courses,  to  accommodate  several  generations  of  new  set- 
tlers.    It  is  worthy  of  remark  also,  that  the  practice  of 
suffering  cattle  and  other  stock  to  roam  at  large  over  the 
natural  pastures,   which    now  prevails    universally,    and 
must  long  continue  to  be  pursued,  renders  this  rather  an 
imaginary  want,  than    one   of  practical   inconvenience. 


WET  PRAIRIES.  107 

The  family  is  supplied,  either  by  a  spring  or  well,  with  a 
suflicient  quantity  of  good  water  for  household  purposes, 
and  for  work-horses  ;  while  the  animals  which  seek  their 
own  food  on  the  wild  lands,  roam  off  to  the  streams  which 
are  more  or  less  distant.  But  the  open  prairie  lands  pos- 
sess some  advantages,  which  will  go  far  towards  counter- 
balancing this  deficiency.  These,  as  we  have  remarked, 
are  their  great  fertility,  the  ease  with  which  they  may  be 
brought  into  cultivation,  and  the  lightness  of  the  soil, 
which  renders  the  tillage  less  laborious  than  that  of  other 
lands.  To  these  may  be  added,  the  facility  of  making 
good  roads,  in  consequence  of  the  levelness  of  the  coun- 
try, and  the  dryness  of  the  soil, — and  the  remarkable 
adaptation  of  this  whole  region  for  internal  communica- 
tion by  railroads  and  canals. 

A  great  mistake  has  been  made  by  travelers,  and  adopt- 
ed by  the  compilers  of  books,  in  reference  to  wet  prairies, 
which  they  suppose  to  exist  to  a  much  greater  extent 
than  is  true.  Taking  it  for  granted  that  the  prairie  region 
is  a  vast  plain,  they  infer  prima  facie,  that  the  water 
which  falls  from  the  clouds,  is  slowly  drained  off,  and 
remains  long  on  the  ground,  constituting  extensive  pools 
and  marshes.  But  the  truth  is,  that  the  surface  is  undu- 
lating, and  that  the  process  of  draining  has,  in  the  lapse 
of  ages,  gradually  worn  down  the  edges  of  the  plains 
nearest  to  the  water-courses,  so  that  the  centre  is  in  most 
cases  the  highest.  This  conformation  is  not  invariable  : 
there  are  prairies  which  are  level,  and  upon  others,  even 
the  most  elevated,  will  be  found  depressions,  from  which 
the  water  is  not  drained.  Taking  into  view  these  excep- 
tions to  the  general  rule,  and  considering  them  as  charac- 
teristic features  in  the  topography  of  the  country,  a  writer, 
otherwise  accurate,  has  said  that  "  most  of  our  large  prai- 
ries are  so  nearly  level,  or  slightly  concave  in  the  centre, 
as  to  render  many  places  wet,  and  others  inundated."  A 
country  of  which  this  remark  should  be  true  would  be 


* 

108  WET  PRAIRIES. 

scarcely  habitable.  As  well  might  the  writer  deny  the 
convexity  of  the  globe,  because  there  are  valleys  upon  its 
surface,  as  to  deny  the  same  general  shape  to  the  prairies, 
because  in  the  almost  imperceptible  undulations  of  their 
outline,  the  latter  sometimes  assumes  for  a  short  distance 
the  appearance  of  an  exact  plane,  and  sometimes  sinks 
into  a  hollow.  The  idea  is  contrary  to  the  analogy  of 
nature,  for  the  natural  drainage  of  a  country,  will  leave 
those  parts  most  elevated  which  lie  at  the  greatest  distance 
from  the  rivers  or  valleys  into  which  the  rains  flow  off 
from  the  surface.  In  a  region  of  rock  formation,  this  ef- 
fect will  be  modified  by  other  causes  ;  but  on  plains  of 
light  soil,  resting  on  clay  and  gravel  easily  worn  by  the 
attrition  of  water,  its  operation  is  obvious  and  uniform. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year,  or  at  any  other  season  when 
rain  has  fallen  copiously,  the  light  and  porous  soil  of  the 
prairie  becomes  saturated  with  water,  and  as  the  process 
of  draining  cannot  be  carried  forward  rapidly,  in  a  country 
so  nearly  level,  the  Avhole  land  seems  almost  inundated. 
The  slope  of  the  entire  plain  of  the  west,  has  been  shown 
to  be  gentle  ;  the  channels  of  its  rivers  have  but  little 
declination,  and  carry  off  their  waters  slowly.  The 
smaller  water  courses,  by  the  same  law,  have  but  little 
fall ;  they  are  therefore  soon  filled  to  overflowing.  Creeks 
assume  the  appearance  of  rivers — brooks  are  filled  to  their 
brinks — the  ravines  in  the  prairies,  dry  at  other  seasons, 
become  the  channels  of  immense  floods,  which  slowly 
flow  off  with  an  almost  imperceptible  motion.  The  whole 
land  is  like  a  saturated  sponge.  But  whenever  the  waters 
subside,  the  porousness  of  the  soil,  and  the  rapidity  of  the 
evaporation  in  so  open  a  country,  produce  the  effect  of 
drying  the  soil  with  remarkable  celerity. 

The  objection  to  the  prairie  region,  is  not  excess  of 
moisture  either  in  the  soil  or  climate ;  the  opposite,  if  it 
be  an  objection,  is  that  which  might  be  alledged  with 
more  propriety.     It  is  a  country  of  boundless  plains,  ac- 


WET    PRAIRIES.  109 

cessible  to  the  winds  from  every  direction — but  little  sha- 
ded by  timber — and  having  ft  small  proportion  of  springs 
or  running  streams  of  water.  Karly  in  the  summer  all 
the  streams  except  the  largest,  arc  dried  up;  the  traveler 
is  astonished  as  he  passes  over  deep  channels,  perfectly 
dry,  to  see,  by  the  marks  of  water  above  his  head,  that 
immense  floods  have  recently  filled  them  to  overflowing, 
and  at  finding  in  the  beds  of  rivers  of  sounding  name,  in 
which  for  months  together  a  ship  of  the  line  might  float, 
rivulets  almost  exhausted,  over  which  he  could  jump  at  a 
single  bound. 

Wet  prairies  occur  where  the  surface  of  the  plain  is 
perfectly  level,  or  slightly  concave.  A  very  small  pro- 
portion of  the  whole  country  is  comprised  within  this  de- 
scription ;  and  all  of  it  may  be  easily  drained.  We  have 
scarcely  ever  seen  a  prairie  from  which  the  standing  water 
might  not  be  conveyed  by  a  ditch  a  few  feet  in  depth. 
They  are  not  sufficiently  extensive  to  produce  any  effect 
upon  the  atmosphere  ;  and  as  the  waters  are  rapidly 
evaporated,  they  become  dry  in  the  early  part  of  the  sum- 
mer, and  are  covered  like  the  other  lands  with  grass  ;  so 
that  they  do  not  generate  miasma  in  any  quantity  which 
can  perceptibly  effect  the  salubrity  of  the  air. 

The  quality  of  the  water  in  the  interior,  or  prairie  re- 
gion, is  often  made  a  subject  of  complaint  by  travelers. 
The  reason  is  obvious.  The  first  settlers  in  a  new  coun- 
try, and  those  who  keep  the  houses  of  entertainment  at 
which  travelers  stop,  are  persons  who  care  little  for  the 
luxuries  of  life,  and  who  have  been  accustomed  to  the  use 
of  spring  water.  They  know  little,  and  care  less,  about 
the  art  of  procuring  the  pure  element  by  means  of  artificial 
wells.  When  obliged  to  resort  to  this  method  of  getting 
water,  they  consider  it  a  matter  of  importance  to  find  it 
as  near  the  surface  as  possible,  or  rather,  if  they  do  not 
find  it  after  digging  a  few  feet,  they  desist  and  seek  it  at 
another  spot ;   and  choice  of  a  place  at  which  to  reside, 

K 


110  WILD  ANIMALS. 

depends  on  the  finding  of  water  at  the  depth  of  twelve  or 
fifteen  feet.  The  well  is  often  so  shallow  that  the  water 
may  be  warmed  by  the  action  of  the  sun.  It  is  curbed 
with  green  wood,  from  which  sometimes  the  bark  is  not 
removed— or  more  frequently  with  a  hollow  log  termed  a 
gum — which  is  constantly  decaying  and  imparting  a  bad 
taste  to  the  water ;  while  no  pains  are  taken  to  remove 
the  leaves  and  woody  fibre  which  are  continually  falling 
into  it.  "When  wells  are  properly  dug,  and  walled  with 
stone  or  brick,  the  water  is  generally  pure  and  excellent ; 
nor  can  we  conceive  how  it  could  be  otherwise,  passing, 
as  it  almost  invariably  does,  through  a  stratum  of  fine 
clean  sand. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Wild  Animals. 


There  are  several  works  on  natural  history,  which 
accurately  describe  the  animals  of  this  region.  In  orni- 
thology especially,  the  labors  of  Wilson,  Nuttal,  and 
Buonaparte,  have  left  no  room  for  additional  remarks. 
We  shall  confine  ourselves  to  a  few  desultory  hints  relat- 
ing to  the  settled  parts  of  the  country. 

The  buffalo  has  entirely  left  the  inhabited  districts. 
Before  the  country  was  settled  our  immense  prairies  af- 
forded pasturage  to  large  herds  of  this  animal ;  and  the 
traces  of  them  are  still  remaining,  in  the  "  buffalo  paths" 
which  are  to  be  seen  in  several  parts  of  the  new  states. 
These  are  well  beaten  tracts,  leading  generally  from  the 
prairies  in  the  interior,  to  the  margins  of  the  large  rivers ; 
shewing  the  course  of  their  migrations  as  they  changed 
their  pastures  periodically,  from  the  low  marshy  alluvion, 
to  the  dry  upland  plains.     In  the  heat  of  summer  they 


WILD    ANIMALS.  Ill 

would  be  driven  from  the  latter  by  prairie  flies,  in  the 
autumn  they  would  be  expelled  from  the  former  by  the 
musquitoes  ;  in  the  spring  the  grass  of  the  plains  would 
afford  abundant  pasturage,  while  the  herds  could  enjoy 
the  warmth  of  the  sun,  and  snuff  the  breeze  that  sweeps 
so  freely  over  them  ;  in  the  winter  the  rich  cane  of  the 
river  banks,  which  is  an  evergreen,  would  furnish  food, 
while  the  low  grounds  thickly  covered  with  brush  and 
forest,  would  afford  protection  from  the  bleak  winds.  I 
know  few  subjects  more  interesting  than  migration  of  wild 
animals,  connecting  as  it  does  the  singular  displays  of 
brute  instinct,  with  a  wonderful  exhibition  of  the  various 
supplies  which  nature  has  provided  for  the  support  of 
animal  life,  under  an  endless  variety  of  circumstances. 
These  paths  are  narrow,  and  remarkably  direct,  shewing 
that  the  animals  traveled  in  single  file  through  the  woods, 
and  pursued  the  most  direct  course  to  their  places  of 
destination. 

Deer  are  more  abundant  in  some  places  than  at  the  first 
settlement  of  the  country.  They  increase,  to  a  certain 
extent,  with  the  population.  The  reason  of  this  appears 
to  be,  that  they  find  protection  in  the  neighborhood  of 
man,  from  the  beasts  of  prey  that  assail  them  in  the  wil- 
derness, and  from  whose  attacks  their  young  particularly 
can  with  difficulty  escape.  They  suffer  most  from  the 
wolves,  who  hunt  in  packs  like  hounds,  and  who  seldom 
give  up  the  chace  until  a  deer  is  taken.  We  have  often 
sate  on  a  moonlight  summer  night,  at  the  door  of  a  log 
cabin  on  one  of  our  prairies,  and  heard  the  wolves  in  full 
chace  of  a  deer,  yelling  very  nearly  in  the  same  manner 
as  a  pack  of  hounds.  Sometimes  the  cry  would  be  heard 
at  a  great  distance  over  the  plain  ;  then  it  would  die  away, 
and  again  be  distinguished  at  a  nearer  point,  and  in  another 
direction — now  the  full  cry  would  burst  upon  us  from  a 
neighboring  thicket,  and  we  could  almost  hear  the  sobs 
of  the  exhausted  deer,  and  again  it  would  be  borne  away 


112  WILD    ANIMALS. 

and  lost  in  distance.  We  have  passed  nearly  whole  nights 
in  listening  to  such  sounds,  and  once  we  saw  a  deer  dash 
through  the  yard,  and  immediately  past  the  door  at  which 
we  sate,  followed  by  his  audacious  pursuers,  who  were 
but  a  few  yards  in  his  rear. 

Immense  numbers  of  deer  are  killed  every  year  by  our 
hunters,  who  take  them  for  the  hams  and  skins  alone, 
throwing  away  the  rest  of  the  carcass.  Venison  hams 
and  hides  are  important  articles  of  export.  The  former 
are  purchased  from  the  hunters  at  25  cents  a  pair,  the 
latter  at  20  cents  a  pound.  In  the  villages  of  Illinois  and 
Missouri  we  purchase,  for  our  tables,  the  saddle  of  venison 
with  the  hams  attached,  for  37£  cents,  which  would  be 
something  like  one  cent  a  pound. 

There   are  several  ways  of  hunting  deer,  all  of  which 
are  equally  simple.     Most  generally  the  hunter  proceeds 
to   the  woods   on   horseback,  in  the  day  time,  selecting 
carefully   certain  hours,  which  are   thought  to  be   most 
favorable.     It  is  said  that  during  the  seasons  when  the 
pastures  are  green,  this  animal  rises  from  his  lair,  precise- 
ly at  the  rising  of  the  moon,  whether  in  the  day  or  night ; 
and  I  suppose  the  fact  to  be  so,  because  such  is  the  testi- 
mony of  experienced  hunters.     If  it  be  true,  it  is  certainly 
a  curious  display  of  animal  instinct.     This  hour  therefore 
is  always  kept  in  view  by  the  hunter,  as  he  rides  slowly 
through   the  forest,  with  his  rifle  on  his  shoulder,  while 
his  keen  eye  penetrates  the  surrounding  shades.     On  be- 
holding a  deer  the  hunter  slides  from  his  horse,  and  while 
the  deer  is  observing  the  latter,  creeps  upon  him,  keeping 
the  largest  trees   between  himself  and  the  object  of  pur- 
suit, until  he  gets  near  enough  to  fire.     An  expert  woods- 
man seldom  fails  to  hit  his  game.     It  is  extremely  danger- 
ous to  approach  a  wounded  deer.     Timid  and  harmless 
as  this   animal  is  at  other  times,  he  no  sooner  finds  him- 
self deprived  of  the  power  of  flight  than  he  becomes  furi- 
ous, and  rushes  upon  his  enemy  making  desperate  lunges 


WILD    ANIMALS.  113 

with  his  sharp  horns,  and  striking  and  tramping  violently 
with  his  forelegs,  which  being  extremely  muscular  and 
armed  with  sharp  hoofs,  are  capable  of  inflicting  very 
severe  wounds.  Aware  of  this  circumstance,  the  hunter 
approaches  him  with  caution,  and  either  secures  his  prey 
by  a  second  shot,  where  the  first  has  been  but  partially 
successful,  or,  as  is  more  frequently  the  case,  causes  his 
dog  to  seize  the  wounded  animal,  while  he  watches  his 
own  opportunity  to  stab  him  with  his  hunting  knife. 
Sometimes,  where  a  noble  buck  is  the  victim,  and  the 
hunter  is  impatient  or  inexperienced,  terrible  conflicts  en 
sue  on  such  occasions. 

Another  mode,  is  to  watch  at  night,  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  salt  licks.     These  are  spots  where  the  earth 
is   impregnated  with  saline   particles,  or  where  the   salt 
water  oozes  through  the  soil.     Deer  and  other  grazing 
animals  frequent  such  places,  and  remain  for  hours  licking 
the  earth.     The  hunter  secretes   himself  here,  either  in 
the  thick  top  of  a  tree,  or  most  generally  in  a  screen 
erected  for  the    purpose,  and    artfully  concealed   like  a 
masked  battery,  with  logs  or  green  boughs.     This  prac- 
tice is  pursued  only  in  the  summer,  or  early  in  the  au- 
tumn, in  cloudless  nights,  when  the  moon  shines  brilliant- 
ly, and  objects  maybe  readily  discovered.     At  the  rising 
of  the  moon  or  shortly  after,  the  deer  having  risen  from 
their  beds,  approach  the  lick.     Such  places  are  generally 
denuded  of  timber,  but  surrounded  by  it,  and  as  the  ani- 
mal is  about  to  emerge  from  the  shade  into  the  clear  moon- 
light, he  stops,  looks  cautiously  around,  and   snuffs   the 
air.     Then  he  advances  a  few  steps,  and  stops  again, 
smells  the  ground,  or  raises  his   expanded  nostrils,  as  if 
he  "  snuffed    the   approach   of  danger   in  every  tainted 
breeze."     The  hunter  sits  motionless,  and  almost  breath- 
less, waiting  until  the  animal  shall  get  within  rifle  shot, 
and  until  its   position  in  relation  to  the  hunter,  and  the 
light,  shall  be  favorable,  when  he  fires  with  an  unerring 

K  2 


114  WILD    ANIMALS. 

aim.  A  few  deer  only  can  be  thus  taken  in  one  night, 
and  after  a  few  nights  these  timorous  animals  are  driven 
from  the  haunts  which  are  thus  disturbed. 

Another  practice  is  called  driving,  and  is  only  practised 
in  those  parts  of  the  country  where  this  kind  of  game  is 
scarce,  and  where  hunting  is  pursued  as  an  amusement. 
A  large  party  is  made  up,  and  the  hunters  ride  forth  with 
their  dogs.  The  hunting  ground  is  selected,  and  as  it  is 
pretty  well  known  what  tracks  are  usually  taken  by  the 
deer  when  started,  an  individual  is  placed  at  each  of  those 
passes,  to  intercept  the  retreating  animal.  The  scene  of 
action  being  thus  in  some  measure,  surrounded,  small 
parties  advance  with  the  dogs  from  different  directions, 
and  the  startled  deer  in  flying  most  generally  pass  some 
of  the  persons  who  are  concealed,  and  who  fire  at  them 
as  they  pass. 

The  elk,  has  disappeared.  A  few  have  been  seen  in 
late  years,  and  some  taken ;  but  it  is  not  known  that  any 
remain  at  this  time,  within  the  limits  of  any  of  the  states. 

The  bear  is  seldom  seen.  This  animal  inhabits  those 
parts  of  the  country  that  are  thickly  wooded,  and  delights 
particularly  in  canebrakes,  where  it  feeds  in  the  winter 
on  the  tender  shoots  of  the  young  cane.  The  meat  is 
tender  and  finely  flavored,  and  is  esteemed  a  great  delicacy. 

Wolves  are  very  numerous  in  every  part  of  the  western 
country.  There  are  two  kinds  ;  the  common,  or  black 
wolf,  and  the  prairie  wolf.  The  former  is  a  large  fierce 
animal,  and  very  destructive  to  sheep,  pigs,  calves,  poul- 
try, and  even  young  colts.  They  hunt  in  large  packs, 
and  after  using  every  stratagem  to  circumvent  their  prey, 
attack  it  with  remarkable  ferocity.  Like  the  Indian,  they 
always  endeavor  to  surprise  their  victim,  and  strike  the 
mortal  blow  without  exposing  themselves  to  danger. 
They  seldom  attack  man,  except  when  asleep  or  wound- 
ed. The  largest  animals,  when  wounded,  entangled,  or 
otherwise  disabled,  become  their  prey ;  but  in    general 


WILD    ANIMAL?.  115 

they  onlv  attack  such  as  arc  incapable  of  resistance.  They 
have  bean  known  to  lie  in  wait  upon  the  hank  of  a  stream 
which  the  buffalo  were  in  the  habit  of  crossing,  and  when 
one  of  those  unwieldy  animals  was  so  unfortunate  as  to 
sink  in  the  mire,  spring  suddenly  upon  it,  and  worry  it 
to  death,  while  thus  disabled  from  resistance.  Their  most 
common  prey  is  the  deer,  which  they  hunt  regularly  ;  but 
all  defenceless  animals  are  alike  acceptable  to  their  raven- 
ous appetites.  When  tempted  by  hunger  they  approach 
the  farm  houses  in  the  night,  and  snatch  their  prey  from 
under  the  very  eye  of  the  farmer ;  and  when  the  latter  is 
absent  with  his  dogs,  the  wolf  is  sometimes  seen  by  the 
females  lurking  about  in  mid-day,  as  if  aware  of  the  un- 
protected state  of  the  family.  Our  heroic  females  have 
sometimes  shot  them  under  such  circumstances. 

It  is  said  by  hunters  that  the  smell  of  burning  assafcetida 
has  a  remarkable  effect  upon  this  animal.  If  a  fire  be 
made  in  the  woods,  and  a  portion  of  this  drug  thrown 
into  it,  so  as  to  saturate  the  atmosphere  with  the  odor, 
the  wolves,  if  any  are  within  reach  of  the  scent,  immedi- 
ately assemble  around,  howling  in  the  most  mournful 
manner,  and  such  is  the  remarkable  fascination  under  which 
they  seem  to  labor,  that  they  will  often  suffer  themselves 
to  be  shot  down  rather  than  quit  the  spot. 

Of  the  few  instances  of  their  attacking  human  beings, 
of  which  we  have  heard,  the  following  may  serve  to  give 
some  idea  of  their  habits.  In  very  early  times,  a  negro 
man  was  passing  in  the  night,  in  the  lower  part  of  Ken- 
tucky, from  one  settlement  to  another.  The  distance 
was  several  miles,  and  the  country  over  which  he  travel- 
ed entirely  unsettled.  In  the  morning  his  carcass  was 
found  entirely  stripped  of  flesh.  Near  it  lay  his  axe, 
covered  with  blood,  and  all  around  the  bushes  were  beaten 
down,  the  ground  trodden,  and  the  number  of  foot  tracks 
so  great,  as  to  shew  that  the  unfortunate  victim  had  fought 
long  and  manfully.     On   pursuing  his  track  it  appeared 


116  WILD    ANIMALS. 

that  the  wolves  had  pursued  him  for  a  considerable  dis 
tance,  he  had  often  turned  upon  them  and  driven  them 
back.  Several  times  they  had  attacked  him,  and  been 
repelled,  as  appeared  by  the  blood  and  tracks.  He  had 
killed  some  of  them,  before  the  final  onset,  and  in  the  last 
conflict  had  destroyed  several.  His  axe  was  his  only 
weapon. 

On  another  occasion,  many  years  ago,  a  negro  man 
was  going  through  the  woods,  with  no  companion  but  his 
fiddle,  when  he  discovered  that  a  pack  of  wolves  were  on 
his  track.  They  pursued  very  cautiously,  but  a  few  of 
them  would  sometimes  dash  up,  and  growl,  as  if  impatient 
for  their  prey,  and  then  fall  back  again.  As  he  had  sev- 
eral miles  to  go,  he  became  much  alarmed.  He  some- 
times stopped,  shouted,  drove  back  his  pursuers,  and  then 
proceeded.  The  animals  became  more  and  more  auda- 
cious, and  would  probably  have  attacked  him,  had  he  not 
arrived  at  a  deserted  cabin,  which  stood  by  the  way  side. 
Into  this  he  rushed  for  shelter,  and  without  waiting-  to 
shut  the  door,  climbed  up  and  seated  himself  on  the  rafters. 
The  wolves  clashed  in  after  him,  and  becoming  quite  furi- 
ous, howled,  and  leaped,  and  endeavored  with  every  ex- 
pression of  rage  to  get  to  him.  The  moon  was  now  shin- 
ing brightly,  and  Cuff  being  able  to  see  his  enemies,  and 
satisfied  of  his  own  safety,  began  to  act  on  the  offensive. 
Finding  the  cabin  full  of  them,  he  crawled  down  to  the 
top  of  the  door,  which  he  shut  and  fastened.  Then  re- 
moving some  of  the  loose  boards  from  the  roof,  scattered 
them  with  a  tremendous  clatter  upon  such  of  his  foes  as 
remained  outside,  who  soon  scampered  off,  while  those 
in  the  house  began  to  crouch  with  fear.  He  had  now  a 
large  number  of  prisoners  to  stand  guard  over,  until  morn- 
ing; and  drawing  forth  his  fiddle,  he  very  good  naturedly 
played  for  them  all  night,  very  much,  as  he  supposed,  to 
their  edification  and  amusement,  for  like  all  genuine  lovers 
of  music,  he  imagined  that  it  had   power  to  soften  the 


4 


WILD    ANIMALS.  117 

heart,  even  of  a  wolf.  On  the  ensuing  day,  some  of  the 
neighbors  assembled  and  destroyed  the  captives,  with 
great  rejoicings. 

The  story  of  Putnam  and  the  wolf  is  familiar  to  every 
schoolboy ;  but  it  is  not  so  well  known,  that  such  adven- 
tures are  by  no  means  uncommon.  The  youthful  achieve- 
ment of  the  gallant  revolutionary  hero,  has  acquired  dig- 
nitv  from  the  brilliancy  of  his  after  life,  which  was  adorn- 
ed with  a  long  list  of  heroic  and  patriotic  deeds,  when  in 
fact  this  exploit  is  one  of  ordinary  occurrence  among  our 
resolute  hunters.  We  select  the  following  two  instances, 
both  of  which  are  well  authenticated. 

Many  years  ago,  a  Frenchman,  with  his  son,  was  hunt- 
ing in  a  part  of  Missouri,  distant  about  forty  miles  from 
St.   Louis.     Having  wounded  a  large   bear,  the   animal 
took  refuge  in  a  cave,  the   aperture  leading  into  which, 
was  so  small  as  barely  to  admit  its  passage.     The  hunter, 
leaving  his  son  without,  instantly  prepared  to  follow,  and 
with  some   difficulty  drew  his  body  through  the  narrow 
entrance.     Having  reached  the  interior  of  the   cave,  he 
discharged  his  piece  with  so  true  an  aim   as  to  inflict  a 
mortal  wound  upon  the  bear.     The  latter  rushed  forward, 
and  passing  the  man,  attempted  to  escape  from  the  cave, 
but  on  reaching  the  narrowest  part  of  the  passage,  through 
which  it  had  entered  with  some  difficulty,  the  strength  of 
the  animal  failed,  and  it  expired.     The  entrance  to  the 
cave  was   now  completely  closed  by  the  carcass  of  the 
animal.     The  boy  on  the  outside,  heard  his  father  scream 
for  assistance,  and  attempted  to  drag  out   the  bear,  but 
found  his  strength  insufficient.     After  many  unavailing 
efforts,  he  became  much  terrified,  and  mounted  his  father's 
horse  with  the  determination  of  seeking  assistance.   There 
was  no  road   through   the  wilderness,  but  the  sagacious 
horse,  taking  the  direction  to  St.  Louis,  carried  the  alarm- 
ed youth  to  that   place,  where  a  party  was   soon   raised 
and  despatched  to  the  relief  of  the   hunter.     But  they 


118  WILD    ANIMALS. 

searched  in  vain  for  the  place  of  his  captivity.  From 
some  cause  not  now  recollected,  the  trace  of  the  horse  was 
obliterated,  and  the  boy  in  his  agitation,  had  so  far  for- 
gotten the  landmarks  as  to  be  totally  unable  to  lead  them 
to  the  spot.  They  returned  after  a  weary  and  unsuccess- 
ful search  ;  the  hunter  was  heard  of  no  more,  and  no 
doubt  remained  of  his  having  perished  miserably  in  the 
cave.  Some  years  afterwards,  the  aperture  of  the  cavern 
was  discovered,  in  a  spot  so  hidden  and  so  difficult  of  ac- 
cess as  to  have  escaped  the  notice  of  those  who  had  pass- 
ed near  it.  Near  the  mouth  was  found  the  skeleton  of 
the  bear,  and  within  the  cave,  that  of  the  Frenchman, 
with  his  gun  and  equipments,  all  apparently  in  the  same 
condition  as  when  he  died.  That  he  should  have  perish- 
ed of  hunger,  from  mere  inability  to  effect  his  escape  by 
removing  the  body  of  the  bear,  seems  improbable,  because 
supposing  him  to  have  been  unable  by  main  strength  to 
effect  this  object,  it  would  have  cost  him  but  little  labor 
to  have  cut  up  and  removed  the  animal  by  piecemeal.  It 
is  most  likely  either  that  he  was  suffocated,  or  that  he 
had  received  some  injury,  which  disabled  him  from  exer- 
tion. The  cave  bears  a  name  which  commemorates  the 
event. 

The  other  circumstance  to  which  we  allude,  occurred 
in  Monroe  county,  in  Illinois.  There  are  in  many  parts 
of  this  country,  singular  depressions  or  basins,  which  the 
inhabitants  call  sink-holes.  They  are  sometimes  very 
deep,  circular  at  the  top,  with  steep  sides  meeting  in  a 
point  at  the  bottom,  precisely  in  the  shape  of  a  funnel. 
At  the  bottom  of  one  of  these,  a  party  of  hunters  discov- 
ered the  den  of  a  she  wolf,  and  ascertained  that  it  contained 
a  litter  of  whelps.  For  the  purpose  of  destroying  the  latter, 
they  assembled  at  the  place.  On  examining  the  entrance 
to  the  den,  it  was  found  to  be  perpendicular,  and  so  nar- 
row as  to  render  it  impossible  or  very  difficult  for  a  man 
to  enter  ;  and  as  a  notion  prevails  among  the  hunters,  that 


WILD    ANIMALS.  119 

the  female  wolf  only  visits  her  young  at  night,  it  was 
proposed  to  send  in  a  hoy  to  destroy  the  whelps.  A  fine, 
courageous  boy,  armed  with  a  knife,  was  accordingly 
thrust  into  the  cavern,  where,  to  his  surprise,  he  found 
himself  in  the  company  of  the  she  wolf,  whose  glistening 
eve-balls,  white  teeth,  and  surly  voice,  sufficiently  an- 
nounced her  presence.  The  boy  retreated  towards  the 
entrance,  and  called  to  his  friends,  to  inform  them  that 
the  old  wolf  was  there.  The  men  told  him  that  he  was 
mistaken ;  that  the  old  wolf  never  staid  with  her  young 
in  daylight ;  and  advised  him  to  go  boldly  up  to  the  bed 
and  destroy  the  litter.  The  boy  thinking  that  the  dark- 
ness of  the  cave  might  have  deceived  him,  returned, 
advanced  boldly,  and  laid  his  hand  upon  the  she  wolf, 
who  sprang  upon  him,  and  bit  him  very  severely,  before 
he  could  effect  his  retreat,  and  would  probably  have  killed 
him,  had  he  not  defended  himself  with  resolution.  One 
or  two  of  the  men  now  succeeded  in  effecting  an  entrance ; 
the  wolf  was  shot,  and  her  offspring  destroyed. 

The  prairie  wolf,  is  a  smaller  species,  which  takes  its 
name  from  the  habit  of  residing  entirely  upon  the  open 
plains.  Even  when  hunted  with  dogs,  it  will  make  cir- 
cuit after  circuit,  round  the  prairie,  carefully  avoiding  the 
forest,  or  only  dashing  into  it  occasionally  when  hard 
pressed,  and  then  returning  to  the  plain.  In  size  and  ap- 
pearance, this  animal  is  midway  between  the  wolf  and  the 
fox,  and  in  color  it  resembles  the  latter,  being  of  a  very 
light  red.  It  preys  upon  poultry,  rabbits,  young  pigs, 
calves,  &c.  The  most  friendly  relations  subsist  between 
this  animal  and  the  common  wolf,  and  they  constantly 
hunt  in  packs  together.  Nothing  is  more  common  than 
to  see  the  large  black  wolf  in  company  with  several  of 
the  prairie  wolves.  The  latter  resembles  the  jaekall  of 
Asia,  and  if  not  the  same  animal,  is  a  variety  but  little  dis- 
tinguished from  it.  The  prairie  wolf  is  timid,  and  seldom 
approaches  a  farm  house  at  which  dogs  are  kept.     They 


120  WILD    ANIMALS. 

are  said  to  have  a  particular  aversion  to  the  yell  of  the 
hound,  and  to  disappear  entirely  from  a  neighborhood 
where  a  pack  is  kept  for  hunting. 

Some  years  ago  an  agricultural  society  established  at 
the  seat  of  government  of  Illinois,  offered  a  large  premium 
to  the  person  who  should  kill  the  greatest  number  of 
wolves  in  one  year.  The  legislature  at  the  same  time 
offered  a  bounty  for  each  wolf  scalp  that  should  be  taken. 
The  consequence  was  that  the  expenditure  for  wolf  scalps 
became  so  great,  as  to  render  it  necessary  to  repeal  the 
law.  These  animals,  although  still  numerous,  and  trouble- 
some to  the  farmer,  are  greatly  decreased  in  number,  and 
are  no  longer  dangerous  to  man.  We  know  of  no  in- 
stances in  late  years,  of  a  human  being  having  been 
attacked  by  them. 

We  have  the  fox,  in  some  places  in  great  numbers ; 
though  generally  speaking  I  think  the  animal  is  scarce. 
It  will  undoubtedly  increase  with  the  population. 

The  panther  and  wild-cat,  are  found  in  our  forests. 
Our  open  country  is  not,  however,  well  suited  to  their 
shy  habits ;  and  they  are  not  now  numerous  even  in  the 
wooded  country. 

The  beaver  and  otter,  were  once  numerous,  but  are 
now  seldom  seen  except  on  our  frontiers. 

The  gopher,  is  as  we  suppose,  a  nondescript.  The 
name  does  not  occur  in  books  of  natural  history,  nor  do 
we  find  any  animal  of  a  corresponding  description.  The 
only  account  that  we  have  seen  of  it,  is  in  "  Long's  2d 
Expedition."  In  a  residence  of  many  years  in  the  coun- 
try where  it  is  said  to  have  been  most  numerous,  we  have 
never  seen  one  near  enough  to  examine  it,  and  to  be  cer- 
tain that  it  was  not  something  else.  That  such  an  animal 
exists  is  doubtless.  But  they  are  very  shy  and  their 
numbers  small.  They  burrow  in  the  earth,  and  are  sup- 
posed to  throw  up  those  hillocks  which  are  seen  in  such 
vast  abundance  over  our  prairies.     This  is  to  some  extent  a 


WILD    ANIMALS.  121 

mistake,  for  we  know  that  many  of  these  little  mounds 
are  thrown  up  by  craw-fish,  and  by  ants. 

The  polecat  is  very  destructive  to  our  poultry. 

The  racoon,  and  opossum  are  numerous,  and  extreme- 
ly troublesome  to  the  tanner,  as  they  not  only  at- 
tack his  poultry,  but  plunder  his  cornfields.  They  are 
hunted  1>\  boys,  and  Large  numbers  of  them  destroyed. 
The  skins  of  the  racoons  pay  well  for  the  trouble  of 
taking  them,  as  the  fur  is  in  demand. 

Rabbits  arc  abundant,  and  in  some  places  extremely 
destructive  to  the  young  orchards,  and  to  garden  vegetables. 

The  black  and  grey  squirrels  arc  very  abundant.    These 
beautiful,  bul  destructive  little  animals,  were  very  annoy- 
ing to  the  first  settlers,  by  devouring  large  quantities  of 
their  corn   in   the  fields,  before  it  was  sufficiently  ripe  to 
be  gathered.     One  peculiarity  in  the  history  of  this  ani- 
mal  is  very  remarkable.      Sometimes,  in  the  course  of  a 
few  years,  they  become  so   numerous   in  one  section  of 
country,  as  to  threaten  destruction  to  the  entire  crops  ; 
when,  as  if  by  common  consent  they  commence  an  emi- 
gration, which  is  usually  from  west  to  east,  in  bodies  so 
numerous  as  to  defy  any  attempt  at  computation,  crossing 
the  largest  rivers  that  lie    in  their  course.     Many  perish 
by  drowning,  and  thousands  are  killed  by  the  boys,  who 
crowd  to  the   shores,  to  intercept  the  weary  and  breath- 
less emigrants  at  their  landing.      A.t  the  commencement 
of  their  march  they  are  very  fat;  but  towards  its  conclu- 
sion they  become  poor  and  sickly.     After  such  an  event 
they  are  scarce  for  several  years,  then  multiply,  emigrate, 
and  perish  as  before.     The  cause  of  this  phenomenon  has 
never  been  explained.     It  cannot  be  want  of  food,  for  the 
districts  they  leave  are  often  as  fruitful,  as  those  to  which 
they  direct    their  course,  and  the   healthy  condition   in 
which  they  set  out,  leaves   no  room  to  suppose  that  the 
danger  of  starvation  has  driven   them   from  home.     Our 
hunters  shoot  these   small  animals   with  rifles,  bringing 

L 


122  BIRDS. 

them  down  from  the  tops  of  the  tallest  trees,  with  a  single 
ball ;  and  when  their  depredations  become  great,  large 
parties  are  formed,  which  scour  the  woods,  killing  thou- 
sands in  a  day. 

In  return  for  the  animals  which  have  left  us,  we  have 
gained  a  great  number  by  emigration,  wThich  were  not 
known  to  inhabit  this  region  at  its  first  settlement. 

The  honey  bees  are  not  natives  of  this  country,  but 
they  have  always  kept  a  little  in  advance  of  the  white 
man,  and  while  they  continue  numerous  in  the  settle- 
ments are  particularly  so  upon  the  frontier.  On  the 
verge  of  civilization,  bee-hunting  furnishes  employment 
to  many  individuals  during  several  months  of  the  year ; 
and  the  tables  of  all  the  farmers  are  amply  supplied  with 
the  rich  treasures  of  the  laborious  insect.  Honey  and 
beeswax  are  among  the  staples  of  all  the  new  states. 

Rats  were  not  known  in  this  country,  for  many  years 
after  its  settlement.  They  were  first  brought,  by  the 
boats,  to  the  villages  on  the  shores  of  the  navigable  rivers, 
and  gradually  spread  over  the  interior. 

Birds  of  song  but  seldom  enliven  the  gloomy  monotony 
of  the  forest.  Few,  if  any,  of  these,  are  carnivorous,  and 
it  is  not  until  the  labor  of  the  farmer  has  covered  the  soil 
with  fields  of  grain,  that  the  cheerful  notes  of  the  songster 
are  heard.  We  have  now  a  great  variety  of  singing  birds, 
which  have  rapidly  followed  the  population  from  the 
other  side  of  the  mountains. 

Of  birds,  that  which  is  most  peculiar  to  this  country, 
as  well  as  most  numerous,  is  the  prairie  fowl,  or  grouse. 
It  is  nearly  as  large  as  the  common  hen.  The  flesh  is 
delicate  and  finely  flavored.  The  female  resembles  the 
quail  in  shape  and  color,  and  the  male,  who  erects  his 
plumage  and  struts  like  the  turkey  and  peacock,  is  chiefly 
distinguished  by  a  tuft  of  feathers  on  the  head,  and  a 
tail  longer  and  more  ornamented  than  that  of  his  mate. 
Their  only  note  is  a  low,  strong,  melancholy  sound,  re- 


BIRDS.  123 

sembling  the  cooing  of  the  dove*  which  may  be  heard  at 
■  considerable  distance  ;   and  the  travel*  r  in  passing  over 

the  prairie  at  sunrise,  bean  this  lingular  noise  in  ev< 
direction,  and  if  unacquainted  with  its  source,  ii  at  a  lo 

whether  to  attribute  it  to  a  numerous  colony  of  doves,  of 
owls,  or  of  tremendous  bull  frogs,  for  it  partakes  ..l'  the 
tone  of  each  of  these  animals. 

The  prairie  fowl  are  seldom  seen  in  the  woods,  but  con- 
fine themselves  chiefly  to  the  long  grass  of  the  plains, 
scarcely  ever  rising  on  the  wing,  except  when  disturbed. 
In  the  autumn  they  assemble  round  the  cornfields   and 
wheat-stacks  in  search  of  food,  and  in  the  winter  venture 
into  the  barn  yards.     They  do  not  at   any  time  evince 
much    shyness   towards    man,  and    may    often   be    seen 
mingling  with  the  domestic   fowls,  when    the    farmer's 
dwelling  happens  to  be  situated  on  an  unfrequented  part 
of  the  prairie.     They  are  easily  shot  sitting  or  on  the 
wing;    and  are  taken  in  gTeat  numbers  in  traps.     "When 
the  prairies  are  covered  with  snow  they  settle  in  large 
flocks  on  the  trees.     The  writer  has  seen  thousands  of 
them  together  on  such  occasions.     Thev  eat  freely,  and 
fatten,   when  confined  in  coops,  and  could  probably  be 
domesticated  with  little  difficulty. 

Quails  are  numerous.  These  are  often  taken  by  driv- 
ing them  into  a  long  cylindrical  net,  distended  by  hoops, 
one  end  of  which  is  open,  and  the  other  closed.  The 
net  is  laid  at  its  length  along  the  ground,  with  the  open 
end  against  a  heap  of  brush,  or  in  a  little  thicket,  and  the 
skill  of  the  drivers,  who  are  usually  mounted  on  horse- 
back, is  shewn  in  forcing  the  birds  to  enter  it. 

There  are  pheasants  in  some  parts  of  this  country,  but 
they  are  seldom  seen,  and  are  probably  not  numerous. 

A  few  years  ago  the  beautiful  and  majestic  swan  might 
be  seen  floating  upon  all  our  rivers,  but  they  are  now 
found  onlv  in  secluded  situations 

Geese,  ducks,  cranes,  and  other  water  fowl   frequent 


124  REPTILES. 

our  streams  in  prodigious  numbers.  Great  quantities  of 
them  are  killed  for  the  feathers,  which  constitute  a  con- 
siderable article  of  traffic. 

The  yellow  plover  frequents  the  prairies  in  the  spring 
in  immense  flocks,  and  a  nice  little  bird  it  is,  graceful  to 
shoot  at,  and  very  delicious  to  swallow. 

Wild  turkeys  are  still  abundant.  They  are  shy  and 
difficult  to  shoot,  but  our  hunters  kill  great  numbers  of 
them.  In  the  spring  they  are  found  in  pairs,  but  during 
the  rest  of  the  year  in  flocks  consisting  of  the  old  pair, 
and  the  last  brood.  Fine  turkeys  may  be  bought  from 
the  hunters  for  twelve  and  a  half  cents  a  piece. 

We  have  the  mocking  bird,  the  Baltimore  bird,  the 
red  bird,  the  blue  jay,  the  humming  bird,  and  indeed, 
most  of  the  feathered  tribes  which  are  known  in  the  At- 
lantic states  ;  M-ith  the  addition  of  the  paroquet,  a  bird 
of  beautiful  plumage,  but  very  bad  character,  whose 
thievish  propensities  renders  him  a  great  nuisance  to  or- 
chards and  cornfields. 

I  have  never  seen  any  of  those  pigco?iroosfs,  which 
have  excited  so  much  curiosity,  and  where  these  birds 
are  said  to  alight  in  such  quantities  as  to  break  down  the 
limbs    of  the  trees. 

Of  reptiles  the  most  formidable  is  the  rattlesnake. 
This  animal  is  most  usually  found  in  mountainous  situa- 
tions, where  the  dens  among  the  rocks  afford  them  secure 
harbors ;  of  course  our  plains,  entirely  destitute  of  rock 
and  affording  no  suitable  retreats  for  such  reptiles,  do  not 
abound  in  them.  The  fires  which  annually  spread  over 
the  prairies,  doubtless  destroy  great  numbers  of  them ; 
the  hogs  which  in  this  country  are  allowed  to  roam  at 
large  in  great  herds,  are  their  inveterate  enemies,  and 
probably  devour  many.  We  have  also  the  moccasin 
snake,  and  copperhead,  both  of  which  are  very  venom- 
ous ;  but  we  are  inclined  to  think  that  in  general  snakes 
are  not  numerous. 


RKPTILES.  125 

Two  instances  occurred  some  years  ago,  in  which 
death  was  occasioned  by  the  bite  of  the  spider,  and  the 
belief  became  current  thai  a  peculiarly  venomous  variety 
of  that  reptile  existed  among  us.  I  have  inquired  care- 
fully into  both  these  cases,  without  finding  the  slightest 
evidence  to  support  that  supposition.  One  of  the  per- 
sons bitten  was  a  young  lady.  She  was  not  attended  by  a 
physician,  nor  are  the  facts  of  her  case  correctly  understood. 
No  inference  can  therefore  be  drawn  from  it.  The  other 
was  a  man  who  was  ploughing  in  his  field,  on  a  very 
hot  day.  when  feeling  himself  bitten  on  the  arm,  he  sud- 
denly struck  the  place  with  his  open  hand  and  crushed  a 
large  spider,  which  doubtless  had  inflicted  the  wound. 
It  swelled  rapidly,  and  the  man  alarmed  ran  home,  and 
sent  for  a  physician,  who  arrived  in  about  four  hours,  and 
shortly  after,  the  death  of  the  patient  ensued.  I  did  not 
converse  with  the  physician,  but  a  medical  friend  who 
spoke  with  him  on  the  subject,  suggests  the  following 
facts  :  that  the  system  of  the  patient  was  in  a  state  that 
predisposed  to  inflammation- — that  the  sting  touched  an 
irritable  part — that  the  weather  was  extremely  hot  and 
the  man  heated  by  labor — and  that  his  alarm  and  the  vio- 
lent exertion  of  running  to  his  house,  a  considerable  dis- 
tance, added  to  the  action  of  the  other  causes,  and  gave 
virulence  to  the  poison,  which  under  more  favorable  cir- 
cumstances would  only  have  occasioned  a  slight  wound. 
The  writer  was  once  very  seriously  ill  for  several  davs 
from  the  sting  of  a  bee,  under  similar  circumstances, 
There  have  been  instances  in  which  the  sting  of  the  latter 
insect  has  occasioned  death.  Our  inference  is  that  the 
two  cases  above  mentioned,  do  not  furnish  any  evidence 
of  the  existence  in  this  country  of  a  variety  of  the  spider 
whose  bite  is  ordinarily  attended  with  dangerous  conse- 
quences. 

L  2 


126  AGRICULTURAL    PRODUCTS. 

CHAPTER  X. 

Agricultural  Products. 

The  following  remarks  must  be  understood  as  apply- 
ing to  the  state  of  Illinois,  unless  where  other  places  are 
indicated.  The  writer's  personal  knowledge  is  confined 
chiefly  to  that  region.  The  intelligent  agriculturalist  will 
easily  apply  the  remarks  to  other  sections  of  the  country, 
making  the  due  allowance  for  difference  of  latitude,  and 
keeping  in  mind  the  great  similarity  of  soil  and  exposure, 
which  prevails  over  the  whole  western  plain. 

In  speaking  of  the  products  of  a  new  country,  our 
estimate  must  necessarily  be,  to  a  great  extent,  prospec- 
tive. The  first  settlers  are  too  much  occupied  in  provid- 
ing the  means  of  subsistence,  to  be  able  to  make  much 
for  sale ;  nor  do  the  farmers  of  any  country  raise  pro- 
duce to  a  large  amount,  until  they  are  satisfied  of  being 
able  to  dispose  of  it  to  advantage.  Trade  and  agricul- 
ture are  so  nearly  connected,  that  neither  can  flourish 
separately.  In  order  to  support  an  active,  steady,  and 
lucrative  trade,  a  variety  of  causes  must  co-operate  to- 
gether ;  and  these  causes  must  be  sufficiently  permanent 
to  produce  similar  results  throughout  a  series  of  years. 
The  supply  of  produce  must  be  abundant  and  regular,  so 
as  to  enable  the  trader  to  make  his  arrange ments  in  ad- 
vance,  and  to  calculate  with  reasonable  certainty  ;  and  its 
quality  must  be  such  as  to  bring  it  into  fair  competition 
with  a  corresponding  product  from  another  country. 
Then  there  must  be  a  market,  easy  of  access  ;  and  a 
mode  of  transportation  which  shall  be  cheap,  rapid,  and 
safe,  or  which  shall  possess  these  advantages  to  a  certain 
extent.  There  are  a  variety  of  other  circumstances 
which  are  incidental,  and  which  may  or  may  not  operate, 
at  any  given  time ;    but  all  of  which  do  invariably,  at 


AGRICULTURAL     PRODUCTS.  127 

some  period  or  other,  exert  an  influence  upon  trade  and 
agriculture.  Such  are  chiefly  the  condition  of  the  circu- 
lating medium,  the  rate  of  exchange,  the  existence  of 
war  and  peace  in  our  own  or  other  countries,  the  preva- 
lence of  famine,  disease,  or  other  calamity  in  large  dis- 
tricts, and  tho  influence  of  good  or  evil  legislation. 

It  must  be  very  evident,  therefore,  that  in  a  new  coun- 
try, nothing  can  be  settled,  upon  these  points  j  and  that 
our  fanners  will,  for  some  years,  be  uncertain  as  to  the 
proper  objects  upon  which  to  expend  their  labor.  They 
Mill  be  to  some  extent  discouraged  ;  and  will  exert  less 
industry  than  they  would  if  the  channels  of  trade  were 
fully  opened,  the  markets  regular,  and  the  chances  of 
success  well  understood.  Besides,  most  of  the  products 
of  a  new  country  must  be  carried  to  market  in  a  raw 
state,  and  of  course  in  their  most  bulky  and  most  perish- 
able condition.  It  is  clear  that  if,  in  any  district,  wheat 
may  be  made,  hut  not  flour,  the  choice  of  market  and 
chances  of  sale  are  greatly  reduced  to  the  farmer ;  while 
the  risk  of  loss,  and  the  expenses  of  transportation  must 
be  greatly  enhanced.  In  a  new  country,  therefore,  we 
seldom  find  any  great  variety  in  the  agricultural  products  ; 
and  scarcely  any  are  raised  but  such  as  require  but  little 
labor,  are  in  general  use,  and  may  bo  disposed  of  in  their 
crude  state.  These  are  generally  raised  in  great  profu- 
sion, and  sold  low.  For  these  reasons  the  products  of 
Illinois  are  comparatively  few  in  number  ;  but  it  will  be 
seen  that  this  fact  is  not  attributable  to  the  soil  or  climate, 
but  to  other  circumstances. 

This  state  presents  to  the  farmer  a  combination  of  ad- 
vantages, in  reference  to  its  productions,  which  are  scarce- 
ly to  be  found  in  any  other  country.  Situated  in  tho 
same  latitude  with  Pennsylvania,  and  Virginia,  it  yields 
all  the  products  which  arrive  at  maturity  in  those  states  ; 
while  its  interior  position  protects  it  from  the  extremes 
and  vicissitudes  of  climate  which  are  felt  upon  the  sea- 


128  AGRICULTURAL    PRODUCTS. 

coast,  where  the  warmth  of  spring  is  chilled  by  storms 
rushing  from  snow-clad  mountains,  and  the  ocean  breeze 
sweeping  at  all  seasons  over  the  land,  produces  sudden 
changes,  and  often  reverses,  for  a  time,  the  order  of  the 
seasons.  Although  we  are  not  exempt  from  the  opera- 
tion of  such  casualties,  we  believe  that  there  is  no  coun- 
try where  the  just  expectations  of  the  farmer,  are  so  sel- 
dom blighted,  as  in  ours.  We  may  plant  early,  or  gather 
late  ;  we  carry  on  the  business  of  husbandry  throughout 
the  whole  year,  and  we  find  but  few  days  at  any  one  time, 
in  which  the  laborer  may  not  be  usefully  employed.  We 
have  the  advantages  of  various  climates,  without  suffering 
greatly  from  their  inclemencies. 

Wheat,  rye,  barley,  buck-wheat,  oats,  hemp,  flax, 
turnips,  and  Irish  potatoes,  all  of  which  arrive  at  perfec- 
tion in  more  northern  latitudes,  succeed  equally  well  here. 
The  two  latter,  particularly,  attain  a  degree  of  size  and 
excellence,  that  we  have  never  seen  exceeded,  and  the 
crops  yield  abundantly.  The  produce  of  the  potatoe 
crop  is  from  twenty  to  twenty-four  fold.  No  crop  pays 
in  quantity  and  quality  more  than  this,  for  careful  cultiva- 
tion. The  crops  raised  vary  from  one  hundred  and  fifty 
to  eight  hundred  bushels  to  the  acre.  The  latter  how- 
ever is  an  extraordinary  crop.  The  turnip  is  raised  only 
for  the  table,  but  produces  well.  With  regard  to  wheat,  there 
is  some  diversity  of  opinion ;  not  whether  this  grain  will 
grow,  but  whether  it  is,  or  is  not,  produced  in  this  coun- 
try in  its  greatest  perfection.  We  are  inclined  to  adopt 
the  affirmative  of  this  proposition.  It  is  true,  that  our 
crops  vary  greatly,  both  in  the  amount  and  quality  of  the 
produce.  But  we  are  satisfied  that  this  disparity  arises 
from  the  degree  of  care  bestowed  on  the  culture.  Our 
husbandry  is  yet  in  a  rude  state.  Wheat  is  often  sowed 
in  new  land  but  partially  cleared,  often  upon  corn  ground 
badly  prepared ;  often  covered  carelessly  with  the  plough, 
without  any  attempt  to  pulverize  the  soil,  and  very  gfcn- 


AGRICULTURAL    PRODUCTS.  129 

erally  in  fields  which  have  produced  an  abundant  crop  of 
grass  and  weeds,  during  the  preceding  autumn.  Few  of 
our  farmers  have  barns  or  threshing  floors ;  the  grain  is 
preserved  in  stacks,  and  trodden  out  upon  the  ground, 
with  considerable  loss,  and  injury.  With  all  these  dis- 
advantages excellent  crops  are  raised,  and  the  grain  is  re- 
markably good.  We  learn  from  a  respectable  source, 
that  the  wheat  of  Illinois  and  Missouri,  is  superior  to  that 
of  the  other  western  states  ;  it  is  worth  more  to  the  baker, 
and  the  bread  made  from  it  is  lighter,  and  more  nutritious. 
This  fact  is  attributable  to  the  richness  of  the  soil,  and 
the  dryness  of  the  atmosphere ;  the  former  cause  brings 
the  grain  to  its  greatest  state  of  perfection,  while  the  latter 
protects  it  from  all  those  injuries  which  are  produced  by 
moisture. 

In  the  years  1830  and  1831,  wheat  was  raised  on  the 
prairies  both  of  Illinois  and  Missouri,  which  weighed 
sixty-eight  pounds  to  the  bushel.  The  writer  would  not 
state  this  fact,  if  he  had  not  himself  seen  a  bushel  of  this 
grain  carefully  weighed  and  measured,  besides  having  the 
corroborating  testimony  of  gentlemen  residing  in  both 
these  states,  who  all  agreed  in  making  the  same  statement. 
Sixty  pounds  is  the  standard  weight  of  a  bushel  of  wheat 
in  the  states  east  of  the  mountains  ;  this  weight  is  very 
rarely  exceeded,  and  sixty-three  is  probably  the  maximum 
of  the  finest  grain.  In  Ohio  it  has  been  known  to  weigh 
sixty-four,  and  we  have  heard  of  one  instance  of  its  weigh- 
ing sixty-five  pounds.  We  saw  a  bushel  of  wheat  weighed 
in  Kentucky  in  1831,  which  weighed  sixty-seven;  in  Il- 
linois and  Missouri  alone  has  it  been  found  to  reach  to 
sixty-eight,  and  that  weight  we  suppose  to  be  not  uncom- 
mon there. 

A  gentleman  from  the  east,  who  traveled  through  Il- 
linois in  1830,  was  so  struck  with  the  whiteness  and 
beauty  of  the  flour  made  at  Collinsville,  as  to  be  induced 
to  carry  a  sample  to  Boston,  where  it  was  pronounced 


130  AGRICULTURAL    PRODUCTS. 

superior  to  the  best  Baltimore  flour.  From  these  facts 
we  are  justified  in  asserting,  that  the  soil  and  climate  of 
this  country  is  particularly  propitious  to  the  growth  of 
wheat;  and  that  the  prairie  region  especially,  produces 
this  grain  in  its  greatest  perfection.  Twenty-five  to  thir- 
ty bushels  are  raised  to  the  acre,  and  the  price  varies 
from  fifty  to  seventy-five  cents.  Steam  mills,  for  the 
manufacture  of  flour,  have  been  erected  in  various  parts 
of  Illinois. 

In  Ohio,  flour  is  one  of  the  greatest  staples.  The 
other  staples  for  export,  are  whiskey,  pork,  lard,  bacon, 
beef,  cattle,  horses,  butter,  cheese,  and  apples.  The 
agriculture  of  this  state  has  assumed  a  steady  character. 
Mills  and  distilleries  afford  amply  the  means  of  manufac- 
turing grain  for  market ;  while  roads,  canals,  and  other 
facilities  for  transportation,  have  become  so  numerous  as 
to  encourage  the  farmer  to  exert  his  best  energies. 

Indian  corn,  is  the  great  staple  of  the  whole  west.  It  is 
raised  in  immense  quantities,  with  but  little  labor,  and  is 
sold  at  from  8  to  50  cents  per  bushel;  thousands  of  bushels 
are  annually  disposed  of  in  the  interior  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, at  the  former  price.  It  constitutes  the  most  prominent 
article  of  food  for  man,  and  of  provender  for  stock.  If  a 
western  farmer  be  asked  the  question,  how  many  bushels 
of  corn  are  raised  to  the  acre,  the  usual  reply  is,  one 
hundred.  This  quantity  may  be  produced,  on  fine  soil, 
with  assiduous  culture  ;  but  under  ordinary  circumstances, 
with  careful  attention,  sixty  bushels  is  about  the  average 
crop. 

Cotton,  tobacco,  and  sweet  potatoes,  which  are  indi- 
genous to  more  southern  latitudes,  succeed  well  in  all 
except  the  most  northern  parts  of  this  region.  Cotton 
has  not  become  a  staple  for  exportation,  because  its  pro- 
duction requires  more  labor  than  can  be  afforded  to  it  in  a 
new  country,  where  there  are  no  slaves.  But  the  farmers 
in  Illinois,  Missouri,  and  the  southern  parts  of  Indiana 


AGRICULTURAL    PRODUCTS.  131 

and  Kentucky,  raise  it  tor  home  consumption  ;  they  make 
all  that  they  use,  and  most  of  their  fumiliei  are  clad  in 
cotton  fabrics,  manufactured  at  home. 

Our  tobacco  crops  are  not  exceeded  any  where.  It  lias 
not  boon  extensively  produced,  except  m  Kentucky  and 
part  of  Missouri,  for  the  same  reason  that  prevents  the 
raising  of  cotton;  hut  it  has  been  tried  in  all  the  western 
states  with  success.  It  forms  a  staple  of  Kentucky,  where 
it  is  produced  in  large  quantities.  From  a  part  of  Illinois, 
lying  near  the  Wabash,  a  good  many  hogsheads  have 
been  annually  exported,  and  the  result  of  the  experiment 
has  been  altogether  satisfactory.  A  few  hogsheads  sent 
from  Kaskaskia  to  New-Orleans  some  years  since,  was 
pronounced  by  the  inspector  to  be  the  best  ever  brought 
to  that  market.  We  could  not  adduce  a  stronger  proof 
than  this,  in  favor  of  our  soil  and  climate.  The  tobacco 
plant,  although  coarse  in  its  appearance,  is  one  of  the 
most  delicate  of  the  vegetable  kingdom.  It  thrives  only 
in  a  rich,  light,  warm  soil,  requires  to  be  planted  early  in 
the  spring,  and  gathered  late  in  the  autumn.  In  every 
stage  of  its  growth,  it  needs  culture  and  attention,  and  is 
at  all  times  sensitive  to  cold,  and  easily  destroyed  by  frost. 
When  we  say  therefore,  that  ours  is  one  of  the  best  to- 
bacco countries  in  the  world,  we  assert  the  strongest  evi- 
dence of  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  and  the  mildness  of  our 
climate. 

Of  the  grasses  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  speak.  The 
prairies,  bottom  lands,  and  forests,  abound  in  excellent 
poBtnrmge  ;  and  there  can  be  little  doubt  of  the  success  of 
a  species  of  production,  which  is  indigenous  to  the  coun- 
trv.  Artificial  grasses  have  been  extensively  introduced, 
and  have  succeeded  well ;  but  those  who  have  seen  the 
cattle  wading  in  prairie  grass  as  high  as  their  backs,  can- 
not doubt  that  pastures,  equally  luxuriant,  and  far  more 
nutritious,  may  he  produced  hy  art,  when  these  shall  be 
destroyed.      Grass  is  the  natural  and  characteristic  growth 


132  AGRICULTURAL  PRODUCTS. 

of  the  country.  The  blue  grass  grows  spontaneously 
wherever  the  soil  has  been  trodden  hard ;  it  skirts  the 
road-sides,  and  covers  the  commons  around  our  towns  ; 
the  sites  of  Indian  villages  and  encamping  grounds,  though 
long  since  deserted,  are  often  discovered  by  the  verdant 
carpet  of  blue  grass  which  clothes  the  soil.  In  Kentucky 
it  is  extensively  cultivated  for  pasture,  and  is  highly 
esteemed.  Hay  is  exported  to  the  more  southern  states, 
where  it  finds  a  ready  sale. 

The  Palma  Christi,  or  castor  bean,  has  been  raised  in 
large  quantities,  and  a  great  deal  of  excellent  oil  exported. 

Rye  and  barley  are  not  cultivated  to  any  great  extent, 
because  there  is  no  market  to  which  they  can  be  exported, 
to  advantage,  and  they  are  but  little  esteemed  for  home 
consumption.  Both  these  grains  however  are  produced 
in  sufficient  quantities  to  supply  the  demands  of  the  brew- 
eries and  distilleries.  Oats  are  much  used  for  horse-food, 
but  for  no  other  purpose. 

Hemp  and  flax  grow  well.  The  former  has  been  cul* 
tivated  very  extensively  and  with  success,  in  Kentucky, 
for  many  years,  and  the  product  is  said  to  be  of  excellent 
quality.  The  rich  lands  of  that  state,  and  of  Ohio,  Indi* 
ana,  Illinois,  and  Missouri,  are  generally  well  adapted  to 
the  cultivation  of  this  valuable  plant.  It  is  raised  with 
the  greatest  success  in  the  counties  around  Lexington. 
The  quantity  of  nett  hemp  produced  to  the  acre,  is  from 
six  hundred  to  one  thousand  weight,  varying  according 
to  the  fertility  and  preparation  of  the  soil,  and  the  state 
of  the  season.  The  price  of  the  lint  when  prepared  for 
the  manufacturer,  has  varied  from  three  to  eight  dollars, 
for  the  long  hundred.  The  average  price  is  from  four  to 
five  dollars. 

The  western  states  are  too  new  to  afford  the  cultivated 
fruits  in  great  abundance  ;  but  the  experiments  which 
have  been  tried,  sufficiently  attest  their  peculiar  adaptation 
to  our  soil  and  climate  ;  and  if  further  evidence  be  desired, 


I 


WILD    FRUITS.  133 

it  is  found  in  the  quantity  and  excellence  of  our  wild 
fruits  ;  for  it  is  fairly  inferable,  thai  where  the  latter  grow 
spontaneously,  the  corresponding  domestic  fruits,  and 
those  of  a  similar  character,  may  be  produced  by  art. 
We  have  the  grape,  plum,  crab-apple,  cherry,  persimmon, 
gooseberry,  mulberry,  strawberry,  raspberry,  pawpaw, 
and  blackberry,  growing  wild.  Of  these,  the  grape  is  the 
most  important,  and  perhaps  the  most  abundant.  It  is 
found  in  all  the  ivestem  states,  and  in  every  variety  of 
soil ;  in  the  prairies,  it  is  interwoven  with  every  thicket, 
and  in  the  river  bottom,  it  climbs  to  the  tops  of  the  tallest 
trees.  The  vine  is  very  prolific,  and  the  fruit  excellent. 
Indeed,  we  do  not  know  of  any  part  of  the  United  States, 
in  which  the  native  grape  flourishes  so  luxuriantly  ;  and 
when  we  consider  this  fact,  in  connection  with  the  mild- 
ness of  the  climate,  we  may  well  be  encouraged  to  hope, 
that  the  vines  of  foreign  countries  will  find  here  a  conge- 
nial soil.  We  know  of  one  gentleman,  in  Illinois,  who 
made  twenty-seven  barrels  of  wine  in  a  single  season, 
from  the  grapes  gathered,  with  but  little  labor,  in  his  im- 
mediate neighborhood  ;  and  we  suppose  that  the  quantity 
might  have  been  increased  almost  indefinitely,  had  the 
encouragement  been  sufficient.  The  French,  who  first 
settled  this  country,  are  said  to  have  made  a  wine  resem- 
bling claret ;  which  was  so  good,  that  the  merchants  of 
Bourdcaux,  used  exertions  to  prevent  its  exportation,  and 
procured  an  edict  to  that  effect. 

The  vine  has  succeeded  well  at  Harmony  and  Vevay 
in  Indiana,  under  the  culture  of  the  foreigners  who  settled 
at  those  places,  but  their  wines  were  not  such  as  to  grow 
into  repute.  A  public  spirited  gentleman  at  Cincinnati, 
has  upwards  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  varieties  of  foreign 
grapes,  under  culture,  some  of  which  produce  well.  His 
wine  is  highly  approved  by  connoisseurs. 

The  earliest  fruit  which  ripens  is  the  wild  strawberry, 

M 
m 


134  DOMESTIC    FRUITS. 

which  comes  to  perfection  about  the  last  of  May.  It 
grows  on  poor  land  where  there  is  little  timber. 

The  wild  gooseberry  is  very  full  of  thorns,  and  pro- 
duces a  small  fruit,  of  an  agreeable  taste.  It  is  scattered 
throughout  the  west,  but  is  most  abundant  on  the  upper 
Mississippi. 

Pawpaws  are  very  abundant  on  the  bottom  lands  and 
rich  hills.  The  fruit  is  delicious  ;  and  those  who  have 
overcome  a  distaste  which  the  cloying  richness,  and  singu- 
lar flavor,  occasions  to  a  palate  unaccustomed  to  this  very 
elegant  production,  become  exceedingly  fond  of  it. 
Scarcely  any  brute  will  eat  the  Pawpaw  ;  even  the  om- 
nivorous hog  will  not  touch  it.  It  is  said  that  the  Rac- 
oon has  taste  enough  to  be  fond  of  it ;  if  so  he  has  a 
rich  banquet  in  almost  exclusive  enjoyment,  for  we  know 
of  no  other  animal,  but  man,  by  whom  this  fruit  is  re- 
lished. 

The  wild  plum,  is  found  in  all  the  western  states,  and 
bears  immense  quantities  of  fine  fruit.  The  varieties  are 
numerous.  Its  growth  is  an  indication  of  fine  land.  It 
is  scattered  thinly  through  all  our  alluvion  soils  near  the 
rivers,  and  is  found  in  dense  groves  on  the  prairies. 

Of  domestic  fruits,  the  peach  and  apple  are  most  com- 
mon ;  the  pear  is  less  generally  cultivated,  but  succeeds 
equally  well.  Our  apples  are  remarkably  fine  ;  the  trees 
grow  rapidly,  are  smooth,  vigorous  and  healthy  ;  they 
bear  abundantly  and  the  fruit  is  large  and  finely  flavored. 
Orchards  are  numerous  in  Ohio,  and  very  prolific.  In 
the  more  western  states,  the  apple  tree  has  not  yet  been 
cultivated  to  the  same  extent ;  but  we  have  never  seen 
this  tree  flourish  better,  or  produce  finer  fruits  than  in  Il- 
linois. No  market  in  the  United  States,  is  supplied  with 
finer  apples  and  pears,  or  with  a  greater  abundance  than 
that  of  Cincinnati ;  it  is  perhaps,  in  respect  to  those  fruits, 
unequaled. 

Of   our    delicious    peaches,    we    shall    speak   briefly* 


GARDENS.  135 

They  cannot  be  excelled  in  size  or  flavor.  The  best  that 
we  have  seen,  were  in  Kentucky.  The  fruit  however, 
often  fails.  Our  winters  are  so  short,  that  the  buds  often 
swell  prematurely,  and  are  destroyed  by  frost,  BWB  be- 
fore the  opening  of  spring.  But  when  the  trees  bear, 
they  are  loaded  with  immense  quantities  of  tine  fruit. 

Quinces,  cherries,  and  plums,  succeed  well ;  and  the 
same  remark  will  apply  to  the  gooseberry,  the  currant, 
the  strawberry,  and  the  raspberry,  all  of  which  except 
the  currant,  are  indigenous.  We  have  seen  all  these 
fruits  growing  in  great  perfection  ;  and  in  no  in>iance 
have  we  seen  much  art  bestowed  on  their  culture — scarce- 
ly any  beyond  the  act  of  planting. 

With  respect  to  garden  vegetables,  we  speak  from  ex- 
perience.— The  writer  of  this  article,  spent  most  of  his 
leisure  hours,  for  several  years,  in  the  cultivation  of  a 
large  garden ;  and  the   remarks   now  submitted,  are  the 
result  of  careful  observation.     A  very  voluminous  west- 
ern writer  has  said,  that  "under  this  powerful  sun,  all 
the  roots  and  vegetables  are  more  tasteless  than  those  of 
the  north.     It  is  instantly  perceived  that  the  onion  is  more 
mild,  the  blood  beet  less  deeply  colored  ;  and  this  thing 
holds  good,  as  far  as  my  experience  goes,  in  the  whole 
vegetable  creation.     Take  every  thing  into  consideration, 
this  is  not  so  good  a  country  for  gardens."      "  Cabbages 
and  peas,  owing  to  the  burning  heat  of  the  sun,  and  the 
dryness  of  the  seasons,  are  inferior  in  quality  and  abun- 
dance." 

It  is  to  be  remarked,  that  horticulture  is  an  art  which 
is  seldom  carried  to  any  degree  of  perfection,  except  in 
populous  and  wealthy  neighborhoods.  The  finest  gar- 
dens are  always  found  in  the  vicinity  of  large  cities. 
Farmers  have  no  time  to  expend  in  furnishinsr  their  tables 
with  men  luxuries..  Nothing  requires  more  unremitting 
care,  or  more  severe  labor,  than  a  garden  :  they  are, 
therefore,  usually    found  in   the   possession  of  wealthy 


136  GARDEN    VEGETABLES. 

men,  who  keep  them,  at  great  expense,  for  amusement, 
or  under  the  care  of  gardeners,  who  cultivate  them  for 
the  purpose  of  supplying  the  markets.     There  are  other 
persons,  who  combine  economy  with  enjoyment,  in  de- 
voting some  time  to  horticulture ;  but  all  these  classes  of 
individuals  exist,  chiefly,  in  countries  where  luxury  and 
taste  prevail,  to  a  considerable  extent,  or  where  provi- 
sions are  so  costly,  as  to  make  their  production  a  matter 
of  importance.     In  these  cases,  gardening  is  pursued  as 
an  elegant  and  useful  art ;  and  is  advanced,  step  by  step, 
to  its  greatest  degree  of  perfection.     Soil  and  climate,  it 
is  true,  are  the  most  important  agents  in  the  rearing  of 
fine  vegetables  ;   but  these  luxuries  are,  after  all,  mainly 
produced  by  the  wealth,  the  labor,  and  the  ingenuity  of 
man.     In  new  countries,  therefore,  they  are  not  to  be  ex- 
pected.    Few  persons  here,  we  might  almost  say  none, 
have  money  or  leisure  to  expend  in  matters  of  taste  and 
luxury.     Farmers,  especially,  are  apt  to  commit  this  de- 
partment to  the  females  of  their  household,  whose  other 
cares  allow  them  to  devote  to  it  but  little  care.     We  plead 
guilty   then,  as  a  general   fact,  of  having  bad  gardens. 
But  we  by  no  means  admit,  that  our  vegetables  are  defi- 
cient, either  in  abundance  or  quality,  when  proper  care  is 
paid  to  their  culture.     We  know  that  the  contrary  is  true. 
The  simple  fact  is,  that  our  country  teems  with  the  boun- 
ties of  nature  in  such  rich  profusion,  that  the  people,  not  be- 
ing obliged  to  labor  to  supply  their  tables,  are  apt  to  grow 
careless.     They  put  their  seed  in  the  ground,  and  trust 
to  providence  to  give  the  increase.    Their  garden  grounds 
are  not  only  badly  prepared,  and  as  badly  attended,  but 
the  seeds  are  selected  without  any  care.     The  reason, 
therefore,  why,  as  a  general  fact,  the  art  of  horticulture 
has  been  brought  to  but  little  perfection  at  the  west,  is 
evident. 

But  when  it  is  said,  that  the  vegetables  of  this  country 
are  inferior  in  quality,  we  come  to  another  question,  to 


GARDEN    VEGETABLES.  137 

decide  which,  it  is  proper  to  refer  to  the  cases  in  which 
they  have  been  subjected  to  a  sufficient  degree  of  culture. 
Almost  every  farmer  here,  raises  cabbages,  and  we  are 
sure  that  we  have  never  seen  larger  or  better.     A  hun- 
dred heads  are  sold  in  Illinois  for  a  dollar  and  fifty  cents. 
The  parsnips  and  carrots  of  this  country  are  remarkable 
for  their  size,  sweetness,  and  flavor  ;  the  former,  especial- 
ly, have  a  richness,  which  we  have  never  noticed  else- 
where.    Our  beets  are  as  delicate  and  sweet  as  is  possible ; 
and  we  only  forbear  stating  a  fact,  with  regard  to  their  size, 
which  has  come  to  our  knowledge,  from  the  fear  of  startling 
the  credulity  of  our  readers.    Peas  are  excellent,  and  very 
prolific.     We  have  seen  radishes  three  inches  in  thick- 
ness, and  perfectly  solid,  mild,  and  crisp.     Our  lettuce, 
if  well  dressed,  (there  is  a  great  deal  in  that)  is  capital. 
The  tomatus,  is  common  all  through  this  country.     It  is 
only  necessary  to  plant  it  once,  after  which,  it  comes  up 
every  year  spontaneously;   and  bears  abundantly,  from 
the  middle  of  the   summer,  until   nipped  by  the   frost. 
Thousands  of  bushels  of  onions  have  been  raised  with 
no  other  labor,  than  sowing  the  seed  broadcast,  in  new 
ground ;  and  as  to  their  quality,  it  would  do  the  heart  of 
a  Wethersfield  lady  good  to  look  at  them.     That  goodly 
town  of  Connecticut  would  be  depopulated,  if  its  worthy 
inhabitants  could  see  the  onion-fields  of  Morgan  county, 
and  the  military  tract,  in  Illinois.     We   might  enumerate 
other  articles,  but  it  is  enough  to  say  that,  in  general,  the 
vegetables  suited  to  our  climate,  are  produced  in  their 
greatest  perfection.     It  would,  indeed,  be  an  anomaly  in 
the  economy  of  nature,  if  garden  plants  did  not  flourish 
vigorously,  in   a  soil    of  unrivaled    depth,  fertility,  and 
freshness. 

The  vegetable  market  at  Cincinnati  is  one  of  the  finest 
in  the  world.  At  Pittsburgh,  Louisville,  St.  Louis,  and 
other  large  towns  where  the  encouragement  is  sufficient 
to  induce  the  raising  of  vegetables  for  market,  they  are 

m  2 


138  FLORAL    CALENDAR. 

equal  in  size  and  flavor,  to  those  of  the  eastern  cities, 
though  the  variety  of  kinds  is  not  so  great.  At  the  ta- 
bles of  gentlemen  in  every  part  of  Kentucky,  the  profu- 
sion and  excellence  of  the  vegetables,  is  such  as  to  afford 
a  subject  of  remark  to  the  observant  traveler.  We  are 
well  satisfied  that  a  careful  examination  of  this  subject 
would  show,  that  the  horticultural  productions  of  the  west, 
are  in  general  superior  in  size,  delicacy,  and  flavor,  to 
those  of  any  other  part  of  the  United  States. 

We  subjoin  a  table  of  average  dates,  extracted  from 
Dr.  Drake's  admirable  Picture  of  Cincinnati,  which  will 
enable  practical  men  to  form  a  tolerably  accurate  idea  of  the 
progress  and  decay  of  vegetation,  within  our  season* 

FLORAL  CALENDAR. 

March  5.  Commons  becoming  green. 

"       6.  Buds  of  water  maple  beginning  to  open. 

"       6.  Buds  of  lilac  beginning  to  open. 

"       7.  Buds  of  weeping  willow  beginning  to  open, 

"       8.  Buds  of  gooseberry  beginning  to  open. 

"     12.  Buds  of  honey-suckle  beginning  to  open. 

"     26.  Buds  of  peach  tree  beginning  to  open. 

"     26.  Radishes,  peas,  and  tongue  grass  planted  in  the  open 
air. 
April  8.  Peach  tree  in  full  flower. 

"       8.  Buds  of  the  privet  beginning  to  open. 

"     15.  Buds  of  the  cherry  tree  beginning  to  open. 

"     15.  Red  currants  beo-inning-  to  flower. 

"     18.  Buds  of  the  flowering  locust  beginning  to  open. 

"     18.  Lilac  in  full  flower. 

"     20.  Apple  tree  in  full  flower. 

"     24.  Dogwood  in  full  flower. 
May    9.  Flowering  locust  in  full  bloom. 
12.  Indian  corn  planted. 
12.  Honey-suckles  beginning  to  flower. 
June    4.   Cherries  beginning  to  ripen. 

"       4.  Raspberries  beginning  to  ripen. 

"       6.  Strawberries  beginning  to  ripen. 

"       6.  Red  currants  beginning  to  ripen. 

"     24.  Hay  Harvest. 
July    4.  Rye  harvest  begun. 

"     10.  Wheat  harvest  begun. 

"     12.  Blackberries  ripe. 


WOOD  AND  TIMBER.  139 

July  15.  Unripe  corn  in  market. 

"     18.  Indian  corn  generally  in  flower. 

"     21.  Oat  harvest. 

Aug.    5.  Peaches  in  market. 

Sept.  20.  Forest  becoming  variegated. 

Oct.  25.  Indian  corn  gathered, 

"     30.  Woods  leafless. 

For  the  purpose  of  comparison,  we  add  a  few  memo- 
randa made  by  the  Avriter  at  Vandalia,  Illinois,  in  the 
spring  of  1830. 

April    1.  Peach  trees  in  bloom. 
"       2.  Asparagus  fit  for  the  table. 
"       3.  Peas,  beans,  and  onions  planted. 
11       6.  Heart's  ease  and  violets  in  bloom. 
"       7.  Beets,  carrots,  parsnips,  and  other  roots  planted. 

"  10.  Spring  had  completely  opened  ;  and  the  prairies  were 

green.    Gooseberry  and  currant  bushes  in  bloom. 

•'  15.  Cabbage  plants  transplanted. 

"  18.  Lilac  in  bloom — strawberry  vines  in  bloom. 

"  19.  A  great  variety  of  wild  flowers  in  full  bloom. 

"  20.  Nearly  all  our  garden  seeds  had  been  planted. 

•*  25.  Raspberries  in  bloom. 

"  27.  Lettuce,  radishes,  pepper-grass,  &c.  fit  for  use. 

11  30.  Roses  and  honey-suckles  in  full  bloom. 

I  make  no  apology  for  adding,  more  at  large,  the  fol- 
lowing valuable  remarks,  in  reference  to  the  spring  season 
of  1836,  furnished  in  a  letter  to  me,  from  my  friend  Dr. 
Clap  of  New  Albany,  Indiana. 

"Vegetation  has  been  later,  especially  in  the  fore  part 
of  the  month  (April)  than  has  ever  been  known  by  the 
oldest  inhabitants.  From  the  22nd  to  the  end  of  the  month, 
the  weather  was  very  open  and  pleasant ;  the  thermometer 
ranging,  in  the  hottest  part  of  the  day,  from  75  to  85. 

"The  latitude  of  New  Albany,  according  to  the  land 
surveys  is  38  deg.  12  min.  north,  though  stated  different- 
ly in  some  publications.  The  elevation  of  the  second 
bank,  at  the  court  house,  by  the  actual  survey  of  engineers 
employed  by  the  state,  is  426  feet  above  the  tide  water 
of  Hudson  river.     It  is  on  this  bank  the  greater  part  of 


140  FLORAL    CALENDAR. 

the  plants  mentioned  are  found.  On  the  west  of  the  town 
rises  a  range  of  hills  called  the  knobs  running  nearly  due 
north,  elevated  about  500  feet,  and  beyond  which  the 
country  is  generally  elevated  upwards  of  300  feet  above  the 
Ohio  bottoms,  and  the  vegetation  some  days  later  than  on 
the  river  shore.  I  have  been  thus  particular,  deeming  it 
essential  to  an  accurate  understanding  of  the  progress  of 
vegetation.  Many  floral  calendars  are  of  little  value  for 
comparison,  in  consequence  of  the  want  of  detail  in  re- 
ference to  elevation  and  local  causes,  as  well  from  gener- 
al carelessness. 

"  Professor  Bigelow,  who  is  remarkable  for  his  general 
accuracy,  in  his  observations  on  the  peach  tree  in  differ- 
ent places,  concludes  that  vernal  flowering  varies  four 
days  for  each  degree  of  latitude.  The  peach  in  this  vi- 
cinity however,  varies  more  in  its  time  of  flowering  in 
different  years  than  any  of  our  native  forest  trees,  or  even 
our  indigenous  herbaceous  plants.  The  difference  be- 
tween the  present  year  and  1834 — no  record  having  been 
kept  by  me  of  1835 — was  27  days  for  the  peach,  while 
other  trees  and  herbaceous  plants  varied  from  15  to  21  days. 

"The  foliation  of  the  beech  is  probably  one  of  the 
best  standards  of  comparison  between  different  places.  It 
is  more  diffused,  and  adds  more  to  the  verdure  of  the 
forest,  than  any  other  tree,  and  the  structure  of  its  buds 
is  such,  that  they  continue  to  swell  and  elongate  without 
the  least  appearance  of  verdure,  until  the  moment  they 
expand,  when  the  largest  leaves  are  nearly  an  inch  in 
length,  and  frequently  grow  more  than  an  inch  per  day, 
for  some  time. 

"  From  a  hasty  examination  of  calendars  of  vegetation, 
at  Deerneld  and  Plainfield,  Mass.,  the  German  Flats,  N. 
York,  and  Philadelphia,  it  appears  probable  that  Profes- 
sor Bigelow's  estimation  of  four  days  for  each  degree  of 
latitude,  is  not  high  enough,  especially  between  the  west- 
ern and  eastern  states.     Although  the  mean  temperature 


FLORAL    CALENDAR. 


141 


is  said  to  be  the  same  for  the  corresponding  parallels  of 
latitude  on  both  sides  of  the  Alleghenies,  the  season  is 
probably  earlier  in  the  western  states,  the  soil  and  eleva- 
tion being  the  same.  The  subject,  however,  requires 
some  years  of  careful  observation  to  obtain  the  proper 
data  for  comparison. 

"  The  earliest  appearance  of  the  flowers  is  the  time 
noted  in  the  following  table  unless  otherwise  stated.  The 
plants  enumerated  are  not  all  that  were  observed  but  those 
only  that  had  just  bloomed  at  the  time  of  observation. 

April  1836. 


2d 
ci 

4  th 

ki 

5th 
« 

9th 
m 

10th 
12th 
13th 

II 
( 

It 
II 
II 
II 

14th 
ii 

ii 

16th 

M 

17th 

19  th 

20th 

21st 
u 

2-2d 
it 

it 


Elm, 

Red  Maple, 

Rice  Anemone, 
Spring  Beauty, 
Spice  bush, 
Shepherds  purse, 


Ad- 


Grey  Willow, 
White  flowered 
der's  tongue, 
Blue  violet, 
Yellow  do. 
Ground  Ivy, 
Mouse  ear  cress, 
Wild  Sweet  William, 
Calico  Weed, 
Chickweed, 
Yellow  flowered  Ad 


Ulmus  Americana. 
Acer  Rubrum. 
Erigcnia  Bulbosa. 
Anemone  Thalictroides. 
Claytonia  Vtrgimca. 
Laiirus  Benzoin. 
Thlaspi  Bursa  past  oris. 
Ranunculus  abortivus. 
Luzula  Campestris. 
Salix  Grisea. 

>    Erythronium  Albidum. 

Viola  Cucullata. 
"      pubescens. 
Glechoma  hederacca. 
Arabis  Thaliana. 
Phlox  divaricata. 
Diclytra  cucularia. 
Stellaria  media. 


>    Eryth 


ronium  Americanum. 


der's  tongue, 

American  water  cress,  Cardamine  Virginica. 

Greek  Valerian,  Polemonium  reptans. 

Peach  trees,  (beg-in-  ?  ,,         ;  ;      r» 

,  i  v     fo   n     >  Ami/gdalus  rersica. 
ning  to  blossom)    j  yts 

Red  Currants,  Ribes  Rubrum. 

Dandelion,  Leontodon  Taraxacum. 

Morello  cherry,  var.  of  Prunus  cerasus. 

Flowering  Almond,  Amy gdalus  nana. 

Peach  trees  in  full  bloom. 

Sassafras,  Laurus  Sassaf7xas. 

Red  bud,  Cercis  Canadensis. 

Ragwort,  Senecio  Aurea. 


24th 


u 


142  WOOD    AND    TIMBER. 

22d      Plaintain  endweed,  Gnaphalium  plantaginum. 

"  Stellaria  pubera. 

23d       Lungwort,  Pulmonaria  Virginica. 

Apple  tree,  (beginning  7  D  ; 

rr   a         \  c  "yrus  malus. 

"        Thyme  leaved  speedwell ,  Veronica  serpyUifolia. 
"        Morello  cherry  in  full  bloom. 
25th     The  forest  becoming  green,  caused  mostly  by  the  leafing 
of  the  beech. 
"        Crane's  bill,  <  Geranium   maculatum. 

"        Dogwood,  Cornus  Florida. 

Note.    The  white  involucrum  expanded,  the  inner  and  proper  petals  were 
not  unfolded  until  8  days  later. 

26th     Violet  wood  sorrel,  Oxalis  Violacia. 

Ranunculus  runcuvatus. 

"        Striped  Violet,  Viola  Striata. 

27th     Thornbush,  Red  Haw,  Crataegus  coccinea. 

Lilac,  Syringa  vulgaris. 

Foetid  buckeye,  Esculus  pallida. 

Quamansh,  Phalangium  esculentum. 

"  Iris  cri statu. 

29th     Black  Whortleberry,  Vaccinium  resinosum. 

"         Meadow  rice,  Thalictrum  dioicum. 

"         Barr  flower,  Hydrophyllum  Virginicum. 

"        Blue  wort,  Leontin  Thalictroides. 

30th     May  Apple,  Podophyllum  pcltatum. 

"         Mouse  ear  chick  weed,  Cerastium  vulgatum. 

In  so  vast  a  region,  comprising  a  vast  amount  of  timber, 
there  is  of  course,  a  great  variety  in  the  species  and  qua- 
lity of  that  production.  The  most  common  kinds  are  oak, 
hickory,  ash,  poplar,  cotton  wood,  walnut,  sugar  maple, 
beech,  sycamore,  buckeye,  gum,  cypress,  cherry,  locust, 
peccan. 

Cedar  and  pine  are  abundant  in  the  northern  regions 
of  some  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi, 
but  are  not  found  in  quantities  sufficient  to  be  rendered 
useful,  within  what  may  be  properly  termed  the  western 
country.  Large  quantities  of  lumber,  suitable  for  build- 
ing, are  prepared  on  the  Allegheny  river,  and  on  some  of 
the  higher  tributaries  of  the  Mississippi,  from  the  cedar 
and  pine  of  those  higher  latitudes,  and  floated  in  rafts  to 
the  more   southern  districts ;    by  which  means   all   the 


WOOD  AND  TIMBER.  143 

shores  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  are  well  supplied  with 
the  best  description  of  scantling,  plank,  and  shingles. 

The  several  varieties  of  the  oak  are  found  in  almost 
every  part  of  our  country.  The  heavy  timbers  for  house 
and  ship  building,  are  made  of  this  wood  ;  it  is  converted 
into  flooring,  and  other  descriptions  of  heavy  plank  ;  arid 
is  used  in  many  manufactures  of  which  wood  is  the  ma- 
terial. It  is  also  a  very  general  and  excellent  material  for 
fuel ;  and  is  used  by  the  farmer  in  fencing,  for  rails,  posts, 
and  plank.  There  are  few  localities  in  which  it  is  not 
found,  nor  is  there  any  timber  so  extensively  useful. 

The  ash  is  also  an  excellent  wood  both  for  fuel  and  for 
plank ;  it  is  very  abundantly  distributed  over  the  whole 
country,  and  is  much  used  for  a  variety  of  purposes. 

Many  varieties  of  the  hickory  are  spread  through  the 
whole  region.  This  is  considered  our  best  wood  for  fuel 
for  domestic  purposes,  but  has  little  other  value.  The 
farmers  use  it  for  fence  rails,  but  it  is  neither  so  easily 
split,  nor  so  durable  as  oak  or  ash. 

The  black  walnut  and  cherry  are  hard  fine  grained 
woods,  used  chiefly  by  cabinet  makers,  and  are  sufficient- 
ly abundant  for  the  purposes  to  which  they  are  applied. 

Poplar  is  abundant  in  some  districts,  but  is  not  preva- 
lent in  the  southern  parts  of  the  region  under  description. 

The  black  locust,  on  account  of  its  durability,  is  ex- 
tremely valuable  for  posts,  or  for  any  purpose  where  the 
capacity  of  resisting  the  action  of  moisture  is  required. 

The  sugar  maple  is  found  on  our  richest  soils,  both  in 
the  upland  and  bottoms,  and  is  a  valuable  timber  inde- 
pendently of  the  rich  product  which  it  yields  to  the  sugar 
maker.  The  season  for  making  the  sugar  is  in  February 
— when  the  cold  frosty  nights  begin  to  be  succeeded  by 
clear  warm  days. 

The  cottonwood  resembles  the  poplar  in  appearance 
and  texture,  and  is  found  chiefly  in  low  alluvion  lands, 
and  on  the  margins  of  rivers,  where  it  grows  to  an  im- 


> 


144  WOOD  AND  TIMBER. 


mense  size.  The  young  groves  shoot  up  with  uncommon 
rapidity,  and  are  highly  ornamental  to  the  banks  which 
they  cover ;  but  the  wood  is  of  little  value. 

The  sycamore  is  seen  towering  to  a  great  height  on" the 
margins  of  our  rivers  ;  but  is  fortunately  not  abundant  in 
other  localities,  as  it  is  entirely  useless ;  as  are  also  the 
gum,  and  the  buckeye. 

The  cypress,  which  is  found  only  in  the  immense 
swamps  of  the  southern  part  of  this  region,  is  a  white  soft 
wood,  which  is  used  for  making  shingles,  and  for  various 
kinds  of  wooden  vessels  which  are  made  by  the  cooper 
or  turner. 

The  peccan  is  found  only  at  a  few  points  on  the  Ohio 
and  Wabash  near  the  junction  of  those  rivers,  and  on  the 
Mississippi  near  its  confluence  with  the  Kaskaskia.  It 
yields  a  rich  delicious  nut,  which  is  highly  prized,  and 
of  which  a  few  hundred  bushels  have  been  annually 
gathered  and  shipped  to  New-Orleans.  The  tree  resem- 
bles the  hickory  in  appearance,  and  is  of  that  family. 

The  oak,  the  hickory,  the  beech,  and  the  walnut,  afford 
a  prodigious  quantity  of  nuts  and  acorns,  which  form  the 
chief  part  of  the  mast,  upon  which  the  immense  droves 
of  hogs  are  subsisted  and  reared  in  our  forests. 

The  large  quantity  of  wood  used  by  the  steam  boats, 
has  made  this  an  article  of  active  and  extensive  sale,  and 
will  very  shortly  render  all  the  lands  bordering  on  the 
navigable  rivers  extremely  valuable.  The  consumption 
of  wood  is  already  so  great,  that  the  supply  is  barely 
sufficient  to  meet  it,  and  at  some  points  it  is  wholly  in- 
adequate. The  boats  are  every  year  increasing  rapidly  in 
number,  and  we  know  of  no  branch  of  business  in  which 
the  farmer  could  engage  more  profitably,  than  in  supply- 
ing them  with  fuel.  There  is  scarcely  an  acre  of  un- 
cleared land  bounded  by  the  river  which  will  not  yield 
100  cords  of  wood — many  will  yield  150  cords — but  ex- 
perienced men  consider  the  average  product  100  cords  to 


DOMESTIC    ANIMALS.  145 

the  acre,  including  only  such  wood  as  is  suitable  for  steam 
boats.  The  price  varies  from  92  to  $3  per  cord,  accor- 
ding to  the  locality,  season,  scarcity,  &c.  so  that  taking 
$2,50  per  cord  as  the  average,  the  product  of  an  acre  of 
woodland  would  be  as  follows: 

100  cords  of  wood  at  $2,50 $250 

Deduct  for  cutting  50  cents  per  cord,  $50 
hauling  25  "  "  "  25 
other  labor  25     "        "       "         25    100 


Clear  gain,  $150 

The  price  at  which  such  land  may  be  purchased,  can- 
not be  stated  witli  any  precision,  as  it  would  vary  accor- 
ding to  circumstances.  But  little  of  the  most  valuable 
land  on  the  large  rivers  remains  in  the  hands  of  the  gov- 
ernment ;  and  the  private  owners  have  become  sensible 
of  its  value.  Such  however  is  the  great  variety  of  soil, 
situation,  and  other  particulars,  that  a  purchaser  may  suit 
himself  at  any  price,  from  $1,25  per  acre,  to  $100  per  acre. 

The  best  kinds  of  wood  for  steam  boats  are  oak,  beech, 
and  ash.  Cottonwood  affords  a  lively  fire,  but  burns 
away  too  fast.  Hickory  which  is  the  best  fuel  for  culi- 
narv  purposes,  is  useless  for  steam  boats,  on  account  of 
the  quantity  of  coals  with  which  it  fills  the  furnaces.  The 
wood  for  steam  boats  is  required  to  be  split  fine,  and  kept 
until  perfectly  dry. 

Of  domestic  animals,  the  hog  is  decidedly  the  most 
useful  and  numerous.  The  meat  constitutes  a  chief  ar- 
ticle of  food,  and  is  used  either  fresh,  or  in  the  form  of 
bacon.  The  immense  droves  of  hogs  which  are  raised 
would  seem  incredible  to  those  who  are  not  familiar  with 
the  facts.  They  are  reared  most  extensively  in  those 
districts  which  are  thinly  settled,  and  where  they  ean 
roam  at  larjre  0V6J  wide  tracts  of  forest.  During  the 
spring  and  summer  the  owTner  pays  them  no  other  atten- 
tion than  to  look  after  them  occasionally,  to  ascertain  the 

N 


146  DOMESTIC    ANIMALS. 

range  that  they  frequent,  and  to  mark  the  recent  litters  by 
cutting  their  ears.     Every  fanner  has  a  separate  mark, 
which  is  recorded  in  a  book  kept  by  the  county  clerk, 
and  the  laws  denounce  severe  penalties  upon  those  who 
cutoff  the  ears,  or  alter  the  marks,  of  the  hogs  of  others. 
In  the  autumn  when  the  mast  falls,  the  hogs  fatten  rapid- 
ly, and  grow  very  large.     But  although  they  become  pro 
digiously  fat,  upon  the  wild  nuts,  they  are  not  then  in  a 
condition  to  kill  for  market,  as  the  meat,  and  especially 
the  fat,  of  mast  fed  hogs,  is  soft,  oily,  and  hard  to  keep — 
though  not  deficient  in  sweetness  or  flavor,  for  present 
use.     They  are,  therefore,  taken  home  in  the  autumn, 
and  fed  on  corn  for  five  or  six  weeks,  in  which  time  the 
flesh  becomes  solid,  and  the  lard  white  and  firm.     They 
are  then  driven  to  some  of  the  towns  on  the  rivers,  where 
they  are  slaughtered  and  prepared  for  market.     One  hun 
dred  and  fifty  thousand  hogs,  are  usually  killed,  in  Cin- 
cinnati alone,  in  the  course  of  six  weeks  in  the  fall  of  the 
year.     These  may  be  supposed  to  average  two  hundred 
pounds  each,  and  to  sell  for  from  three,  to  three  and  a 
half  dollars  per  hundred — making  the  sum  paid  by  the 
pork   dealers   to   the  farmers,  at   this   single  market,  one 
million  of  dollars  annually.  During  the  last  season,  how- 
ever, pork  commanded  more  than  double  its  usual  price, 
and  although  a  less  quantity  than  ordinary  was  brought  to 
market,  the  investments  at  Cincinnati  may  be  stated  at  a 
million  and  a  half. 

Beef  is  also  raised  extensively,  and  of  fine  quality. 
The  beeves  which  are  fattened  on  the  prairies,  without 
any  other  care  than  that  of  marking  them,  and  giving 
them  salt  as  often  as  they  require  it,  become  very  fat, 
though  not  large.  They  seldom  weigh  over  six  or  seven 
hundred  ;  but  the  meat  is  remarkably  sweet,  juicy,  and 
tender. 

In  some  parts  of  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  the  farmers  have 
turned  their  attention  very  successfully  to  the  improve- 


DOMESTIC    ANIMALS.  147 

ment  of  their  breeds  of  cattle.  Imported  animals  have 
been  introduced  at  a  gTeat  expense,  and  in  sufficient  num- 
bers to  have  already  effected  a  sensible  improvement  in 
the  stock  of  large  districts.  In  several  counties  of  each 
of  these  states  the  cattle  are  decidedly  fine,  and  unques- 
tionably equal  to  those  of  any  part  of  the  United  States. 

Horses  are  raised  throughout  the  west.  In  Kentucky 
and  Tennessee,  great  attention  is  paid  to  the  rearing  of 
blooded  horses  for  the  turf,  and  the  saddle,  and  those 
states  abound  in  fine  and  beautiful  animals  of  those  des- 
criptions. There  are  many  good  blooded  horses  also  in 
Ohio,  but  more  attention  is  bestowed  here  to  the  rearing 
of  horses  for  draught  Large  numbers  of  mules  are 
raised  in  Kentucky,  and  Missouri. 

Sheep  raising  has  been  very  successfully  conducted, 
wherever  it  has  been  attempted  with  proper  care.  The 
sheep  do  not  thrive  on  the  natural  pastures,  nor  without 
suitable  houses  to  protect  them  from  the  weather. 

The  following  extract  from  a  letter  to  the  author,  writ- 
ten by  Mr.  George  Flower,  an  English  gentleman,  whose 
intelligence,  experience,  and  probity  entitle  his  state- 
ments to  entire  confidence,  are  conclusive,  upon  this  sub- 
ject. 

"  When  Ferdinand  the  Seventh  was  detained  by  Napo- 
leon a  prisoner  in  France,  sir  Charles  Stewart,  then  en- 
voy from  England,  purchased  six  thousand  of  the  finest 
merinos  from  the  royal  flocks  of  Spain.  The  baste  with 
which  these  Bheep  were  driven  to  the  Spanish  coast,  their 
crowded  state  on  board  ship,  and  the  change  of  climate 
and  pasture,  engendered  so  much  disease  and  death,  that 
in  one  year  after  their  purchase  in  Spain,  not  more  than 
two  thousand  remained  alive  in  England.  These  two 
thousand  were  purchased  by  my  father,  and  for  four  years 
were  tended  with  great  care  and  attention  by  me. 

"During  this  period,  I  made  several  purchase*  of  in- 
dividual sheep  from  celebrated  flocks  belonging  to  the 


148  DOMESTIC    ANIMALS. 

convents  of  Spain  ;  and  particularly  from  the  flock  of  the 
monks  of  Paula. 

"In  1817,  I  emigrated  to  Illinois,  and  settled  in  Ed- 
wards county,  ten  miles  from  the  Wabash,  in  a  pleasant 
and  gently  undulating  prairie  country.  I  brought  with 
me  six  rams  and  six  ewes,  selected  for  the  fineness  of 
their  wool.  From  these  I  have  bred  and  increased,  ever 
since.  I  have  also  bred  from  three  hundred  country 
ewes,  by  my  merino  and  Saxony  rams.  The  continued 
use  of  fine  rams,  for  seventeen  years,  has  brought  the 
descendants  from  the  country  ewes  as  fine  woolled  as  the 
original  merinos.  The  flock,  from  their  first  introduc- 
tion up  to  the  present  time,  have  been  remarkably  healthy. 
The  only  disease  I  have  observed  amongst  them,  is  the 
foot  rot ;  about  six  falling  with  it  in  the  course  of  the  year, 
and  about  the  same  number  with  the  rot,  from  pasturing 
in  wet  places  on  the  prairie,  in  the  spring  of  the  year. 

"  My  flock  now  consists  of  four  hundred  sheep.  Two 
hundred  and  sixty  of  which  are  ewes  ;  two  hundred  of 
them  fine  woolled,  and  sixty  common  and  half-blood. 

u  I  have  for  sixteen  years  bred  my  sheep  alone,  and 
without  any  comparison  with  the  eastern  flocks,  or  new 
ly  imported  sheep  from  Saxony.     It  will  be  a  curious 
fact,  if  it  should  so  turn  out,  that  the  interior  of  America 
contains  as  fine  wool  as  can  be  found  in  Spain  or  Saxony. 

"  Having  given  this  brief  history  of  the  origin,  and 
present  number  of  my  flock,  I  will  mention  a  few  facts 
relative  to  the  cultivation  of  fine  wool,  and  the  new  vari- 
eties of  sheep  now  possessed  by  me.  Some  few  years 
ago,  the  merino  was  considered  the  finest  woolled  sheep 
in  the  world.  The  Spanish  king  allowed  the  elector  of 
Saxony  to  select  a  given  number  of  sheep  from  his  flock. 
The  agents  of  the  elector,  selected  the  finest  woolled  ani- 
mals, regardless  of  their  form  or  size.  From  these,  a 
race  of  sheep  has  been  reared,  producing  extremely  fine 
wool,  but  tender,  small,  and  generally  illshaped.     These 


DOMESTIC    ANIMALS.  149 

have  been  bred  so  long  together,  that  the  Saxony  sheep 
have  now  very  different  characteristics  from  the  merino. 
The  wool  of  the  Saxony  is  20  or  25  cents  per  pound 
higher  than  the  merino.      When  in   possession  of  the 
2000  Spanish  sheep,  I  examined  with  great  care,  every 
individual  in  the  flock,  and  selected  from  them  seventy 
of  extreme  and  uniform  fineness.     These  were  kept  in  a 
little  flock  by  themselves,  and  the  manufacturer  who  pur- 
chased the  merino  fleeces,  at  a  dollar  per  pound,  in  the 
grease,  gave  for  the  wool  of  the  selected  flock,  two  dol- 
lars per  pound.     Are  there  any  manufacturers  of  shawls, 
or  extra  fine  cloths,  in  the  United  States,  that  will  give  an 
extra  price  for  extra  fine  wool?     I  have  now  five  breeds 
of  fine  woolled  sheep,  in  my  flock,  suitable  for  different 
soils,  and  whose  wool  is  adapted  for  different  manufac- 
tures.    The  merino  and  Saxony,  both  too  well  known  to 
need   description.     The  Illinois  grazier,   a  most  useful 
race  of  sheep,  perhaps  more  generally  useful  as  a  substi- 
tute for  the  common  sheep  of  the  country  than  any  other. 
It  is  a  short-legged,  stout  sheep,  with  a  long-stapled  soft 
wool,  alike  acceptable  to  the  manufacturer  and  the  house- 
wife.    It  will  live  and  thrive  on  the  richest,  as  well  as 
the  poorest  land.     It  fattens  easily  :    its  mutton  is  excel- 
lent.    The  second  variety  I  call  the  prairie  down,  bear- 
ing a  strong  similarity  to  the  celebrated  breed  of  'south 
downs,'  in  England,  but  clothed  with  the  finest  fleece. 
This  breed  is  entirely  without  horns,  and  divested  of  the 
loose  skin  about  the  throat  and  chest,  that  has  so  much 
disfigured  the  merinos.     The  whole  appearance  of  this 
sheep  is  neat,  with  a  form  sufficiently  broad  for  easy  fat- 
tening.    This  breed  should  be  kept  exclusively  upon  high 
ground  and  fine  herbage." 

In  the  neighborhood  of  Steubenville  and  Wheeling, 
and  at  several  other  points  sheep  have  been  raised  in  large 
numbers,  and  with  great  success  ;  and  there  remains  no 
doubt  of  the  adaptation  of  our  climate  to  this  animal. 

n  2 


150  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

CHAPTER  XL 

The  public  Domain. 

The  public  domain,  as  it  is  called,  consists  of  the 
lands  belonging  to  the  general  government,  as  distinguish- 
ed from  the  unimproved  lands,  belonging  to  the  individu- 
al states,  or  private  owners.  They  have  long  occupied 
much  of  the  attention  of  Congress,  and  there  is  reason 
to  believe  that  the  legislation  of  that  body  in  respect  to 
them,  is  likely  to  assume  hereafter  a  higher  importance, 
and  a  more  delicate  character,  than  it  even  now  presents. 
It  is  only  necessary  to  notice  the  fact,  that  in  all  the 
western  states,  which  lie  beyond  the  Ohio,  the  Union  is 
the  proprietary  of  the  vacant  lands,  in  order  to  suggest  the 
intricate  relations  which  are  likely  to  grow  up  between 
the  general  and  state  governments.  To  those  who  view 
these  questions  in  their  probable  effect  upon  state  rights, 
the  subject  assumes  a  fearful  interest;  but  we  do  not  pro- 
fess to  be  among  those,  nor  to  entertain  any  doubt,  that 
the  well-balanced  powers  of  the  general  government,  on 
the  one  hand,  and  of  the  respective  states,  on  the  other, 
will  be  maintained  in  their  original  integrity,  as  long  as 
the  confederacy  shall  endure.  Nor  is  it  our  intention,  in 
the  remarks  which  we  shall  make,  to  advocate  any  local 
interest,  or  to  advance  the  dogmas  of  any  political  sect ; 
our  object  being  simply  to  state  the  subject,  in  its  various 
bearings,  by  presenting  some  of  its  most  prominent  de- 
tails, with  such  information  relative  to  the  actual  condi- 
tion of  the  country,  as  may  be  properly  connected  with  it. 

In  the  western  states,  this  subject  has  for  many  years 
presented  a  topic  of  animated  public  discussion.  It  is 
here  a  matter  of  vital  interest,  and  is  every  year  growing 
in  influence,  and  expanding  in  magnitude ;  and  the  time 
is  fast  approaching,  when  political   aspirants,  whatever 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN".  151 

may  he  their  principles  in  other  respects,  will  be  required 
to  he  orthodox  upon  this  all  absorbing  question.  Yet  the 
politicians  of  the  west  arc  by  no  means  unanimous  ;  and 
although  the  popular  voice  has  given  currency  to  a  few 
leading  propositions,  the  minds  of  intelligent  men  are 
much  divided  as  to  the  course  of  policy  to  be  pursued  by 
the  government,  in  the  disposition  of  the  public  domain. 

It  should  he  recollected,  that  a  very  large  majority  of 
the  western  population,  and  of  the  emigrants  to  the  new 
states,  are  farmers,  and  that  very  few  of  these  are  willing 
to  be  the  tenants  of  other  men.  They  nearly  all  are,  or 
desire  to  become,  freeholders  :  and  as  there  are  few  other 
lands  in  market  than  those  of  government,  the  price  and 
conditions  of  sale  of  the  public  domain,  are  to  them  topics 
of  immediate  importance. 

By  a  calculation  lately  submitted  to  Congress  by  one 
of  its  committees,  and  founded  on  evidence  which  seems 
conclusive,  it  appears  probable,  that  in  1860  the  popula- 
tion of  the  United  States  will  be  thirty-two  millions, 
of  which  fourteen  millions  will  be  contained  in  the  At- 
lantic states,  and  eighteen  millions  in  the  western  states. 
Thus  the  inhabitants  of  the  Atlantic  states,  having  now 
the  majority  in  Congress,  are  legislating  upon  the  in- 
terests of  those,  who,  in  less  than  thirty  years  will  have 
acquired  the  right,  and  the  power,  to  exercise  a  control- 
ing  influence  in  the  national  legislature,  and  who,  from  a 
dependent  condition,  will  have  arisen  to  complete  sov 
ereignty.  Where  the  population  of  a  country  is  thus 
rapidly  increasing — where  that  increase  tends  inevitably 
to  a  transfer  of  power  from  one  section  of  the  Union  to 
another — and  where  the  anticipated  change  is  so  near  at 
hand,  that  individuals  of  the  present  generation  may  live 
to  witness  its  accomplishment,  every  measure  which 
bears  upon  the  subject  becomes  deeply  interesting.  Of 
such  measures,  those  which  relate  to  the  sale  and  owner- 
ship of  the  public  lands,  seem  to  have  the  most  direct 


152  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

operation  upon  the  growth  of  the  new  states  and  territo- 
ries, a  very  large  majority  of  the  emigrants  to  such  coun- 
tries, being  agriculturalists,  who  would  not  settle  upon 
the  soil  in  any  other  condition  than  as  its  proprietors. 

It  will  be  readily  seen  that  this  is  precisely  the  kind 
of  subject  which  is  calculated  to  awaken  sectional  feel- 
ings, and  upon  which,  therefore,  a  great  diversity  of 
opinion  may  prevail.  That  discordant  ideas  concerning 
it  are  prevalent,  is  becoming  every  day  more  and  more 
obvious ;  and  the  public  domain  is  now  viewed  in  differ- 
ent lights  by  different  politicians.  Some  consider  it  as 
a  source  of  revenue,  to  be  disposed  of  to  the  best  ad- 
vantage for  the  national  treasury  ;  others  contend  that  it 
should  be  put  to  sale  in  the  manner  best  calculated  to  pro- 
mote emigration  to  that  quarter ;  a  third  class,  and  the 
most  numerous,  are  willing  to  make  a  liberal  compromise 
between  the  two  former  opinions  ;  Mrhile  a  fourth,  few  in 
number,  deny  the  right  of  the  United  States  to  the  fee 
simple  of  any  lands  lying  within  the  limits  of  a  sover- 
eign state. 

The  subject,  therefore,  naturally  divides  itself  into  two 
branches  of  inquiry; — 1.  As  to  the  title  of  the  United 
States  to  the  public  lands  ;    and  2.  As  to  the  policy  pur- 
sued in  its  disposal. 
1.   The  title  of  the  United  States  to  the  public  lands. 

At  the  formation  of  the  Federal  Government,  all  the 
lands  not  owned  by  individuals,  belonged  to  the  states 
respectively,  within  whose  limits  they  were  situated;  for 
as  that  government  consisted  of  a  confederacy  of  states, 
each  of  which  retained  its  proprietary  rights,  and  proper 
sovereignty,  the  United  States  acquired  by  the  Union  no 
property  in  the  soil.  The  uninhabited  wilds  lying  to  the 
west,  and  as  yet  not  clearly  defined  by  established  boun- 
daries, were  claimed  by  the  adjacent  states,  and  portions 
of  them  by  foreign  nations  under  conflicting  claims,  but 
all  subject  to  the  paramount  Indian  title.     The  title  there- 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  153 

fore,  of  the  United  States  to  that  country  is  derived  : 
1.  From  treaties  with  foreign  nations  ;  2.  From  treaties 
with  the  Indian  tribes  ;  and — 3.  From  cessions  by  indi- 
vidual states,  members  of  the  Union. 

The  treaties  with  foreign  nations,  by  which  territory 
has  been  acquired,  are  those  of  1783  and  1704  with 
Great  Britain,  of  17'Jo  and  1820  with  Spain,  and  of  1803 
with  France.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  of  these  treaties, 
that  by  them  we  acquired  Louisiana  and  the  Floridas, 
and  extinguished  all  the  claims  of  foreign  nations  to  the 
immense  regions  lying  west  of  the  several  states,  and 
extending  to  the  Pacific  ocean. 

The  lands  east  of  the  Mississippi,  and  contained  with- 
in the  boundaries  designated  by  the  treaty  with  Great 
Britain  of  1783,  were  claimed  by  individual  states,  and 
the  title  of  the  United  States  to  that  territory  is  derived 
from  cessions  made  by  those  states. 

These  cessions  embrace  three  distinct  tracts  of  country. 

1.  The  whole  territory  north  of  the  river  Ohio,  and 
west  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  extending  northward- 
ly to  the  northern  boundary  of  the  United  States,  and 
westwardly  to  the  Mississippi,  was  claimed  by  Virginia, 
and  that  state  was  in  possession  of  the  French  settlements 
of  Vincennes  and  Kaskaskia,  which  she  had  occupied 
and  defended  during  the  revolutionary  war.  The  states 
of  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  and  New  York,  set  up, 
to  portions  of  the  same  territory,  claims,  which  though 
scarcely  plausible,  were  urgently  pressed  upon  the  con- 
sideration of  Congress.  The  United  States,  by  cessions 
from  those  four  states,  acquired  an  indisputable  title  to  the 
whole.  This  tract  now  comprises  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illi- 
nois, and  Michigan. 

2.  North  Carolina  ceded  to  the  United  States  all  her 
vacant  lands  lying  west  of  the  Allegheny  mountains  with- 
in the  breadth  of  her  charter.  This  territory  is  com- 
prised within  the  state  of  Tennessee. 


154  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

3.  South  Carolina  and  Georgia  ceded  their  titles  to 
that  tract  of  country  which  now  composes  the  states  of 
Alabama  and  Mississippi. 

The  United  States  having  thus  become  the  sole  pro- 
prietary, of  what  have  since  been  called  the  public  lands, 
the  nation  was  rescued  from  evils  of  the  most  threatening 
and  embarrassing  aspect.  The  claims  of  foreign  nations, 
adverse  to  our  own,  to  the  broadly  expanded  regions  ly- 
ing west  of  the  several  states,  and  extending  to  the  Paci- 
fic, were  extinguished — depriving  those  nations  of  all  ex- 
cuse for  tampering  with  the  Indians  upon  our  border,  and 
rescuing  our  frontier  from  the  dangerous  vicinity  of  for- 
eign military  posts.  The  boundaries  of  the  then  fron- 
tier states  were  defined,  and  they  were  prevented  from 
growing  to  an  inordinate  size,  and  acquiring  an  undue 
preponderance  in  the  government — the  interfering  claims 
of  several  states  to  the  same  territory  were  silenced — but 
above  all,  the  general  government,  in  acquiring  the  sole 
jurisdiction  over  the  vacant  lands,  was  enabled  to  estab- 
lish an  uniform  system  for  their  settlement,  and  the  erec- 
tion of  new  states.  To  the  latter,  admission  into  the 
Union  upon  terms  of  perfect  equality  with  the  older 
members  of  the  confederacy,  was  secured ;  while  the 
land  was  offered  to  the  settler  at  a  fair  price,  and  under  an 
unexceptionable  title.  The  disinterested  policy  of  the 
states  which  made  these  liberal  cessions  cannot  be  too 
highly  applauded.  Virginia,  in  particular,  displayed  a 
magnanimity  which  entitles  her  to  the  lasting  gratitude  of 
the  American  people  ;  her  territory  was  by  far  the  largest, 
and  her  sacrifice  to  the  general  good  the  noblest.  It  was 
disinterested,  because  she  reserved  no  remuneration  to  her- 
self. 

The  cession  by  Virginia  is  the  most  important,  not  only 
on  account  of  the  magnitude  of  the  country  ceded,  but  in 
regard  to  the  conditions  imposed  on  the  United  States 
respecting  its  future  disposition.     It  is  provided  in  that 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  155 

compact,  "  that  all  the  lands  within  the  territory  so  ceded 
to  the  United  States,  and  not  reserved  for  special  purposes, 
shall  be  considered  as  a  common  fund,  for  the  special  use 
and  benefit  of  such  of  the  United  States  as  have  become, 
or  shall  become,  members  of  the  confederation  or  federal 
alliance  of  said  states,  Virginia  inclusive,  according  to 
their  usual  respective  proportions  in  the  general  charge 
and  expenditure,  and  shall  be  faithfully,  and  bona  fide 
disposed  of  for  that  purpose,  and  for  no  other  use  or  pur- 
pose whatsoever."  It  is  also  provided,  that,  "  the  said 
territory  shall  be  divided  into  distinct  republican  states, 
not  more  than  five,  nor  less  than  three,  as  the  situation 
of  that  country  and  future  circumstances  may  require ; 
which  states  shall  hereafter  become  members  of  the  Fed- 
eral union,  and  have  the  same  rights  of  sovereignty,  free- 
dom and  independence,  as  the  original  states." 

The  reservations  made  by  Virginia,  were,  "  That  the 
French  and  Canadian  inhabitants,  and  other  settlers  of 
Kaskaskies,  St.  Vincents,  and  the  neighboring  villages, 
who  have  professed  themselves  citizens  of  Virginia,  shall 
have  their  possessions  and  titles  confirmed  to  them,  and 
be  protected  in  the  enjoyment  of  their  rights  and  liberties," 
and  a  quantity  of  land,  which  Virginia  had  promised  to 
General  George  Rogers  Clarke,  and  to  the  officers  and 
soldiers  who  served  under  him  in  the  reduction  of  the 
French  posts,  was  reserved  within  the  ceded  territory, 
for  the  purpose  of  fulfilling  the  stipulations  of  that  agree- 
ment.    This  cession  was  made  in  1784. 

As  we  shall  comment  upon  the  Ordinance  passed  by 
congress  in  1787,  for  the  government  of  the  northwestern 
territory,  in  another  place,  we  shall  only  notice  here,  that 
part  of  it  which  relates  to  the  public  lands.  It  is  com- 
prised in  the  two  following  clauses : 

"  The  legislatures  of  those  districts,  or  new  states,  shall 
never  interfere  with  the  primary  disposal  of  the  soil  by 
the  United  States,  in  congress  assembled,  nor  with  any 


156  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

regulations  congress  may  find  necessary,  for  securing  the 
title  in  such  soil  to  the  bonajide  purchasers." 

"  No  tax  shall  be  imposed  on  lands  the  property  of  the 
United  States  ;  and  in  no  case  shall  non-resident  proprie- 
tors be  taxed  higher  than  residents." 

In  the  constitution  of  the  United  States,  it  was  further 
declared,  that,  "  The  congress  shall  have  power  to  dis- 
pose of,  and  make  all  needful  rules  and  regulations  res- 
pecting the  territory  or  other  property  of  the  United 
States  ;"  and  thus  the  sanction  of  the  whole  people  was 
given  to  the  acts  of  the  confederated  government,  and 
their  compacts  with  states,  and  the  title  of  the  general 
government  to  the  public  lands,  recognised. 

The  treaties  with  the  Indian  tribes,  for  the  extinguish- 
ment of  their  titles  to  different  tracts  of  country,  have 
been  numerous.  Those  tribes  are  recognised,  in  some 
respects  as  independent  nations.  They  are  governed  by 
their  own  laws,  and  are  acknowledged  to  have  the  right 
to  sell  their  lands,  or  to  occupy  them  at  their  option.  The 
general  government  claims  the  right  of  pre-emption,  and 
forbids  the  sale  of  Indian  lands  to  other  nations,  or  to  in- 
dividuals. But  in  no  instance  have  those  lands  been 
surveyed,  or  offered  for  sale,  antecedently  to  their  pur- 
chase from  the  Indians,  nor  has  any  compulsion  ever  been 
used,  to  extort  from  the  latter,  any  portion  of  their  terri- 
tory. In  several  instances,  the  same  land  has  been  pur- 
chased from  several  different  tribes,  in  others,  it  has  been 
bought  more  than  once  from  the  same  tribe,  so  liberal  has 
this  government  been  in  its  policy,  and  so  careful  to  avoid 
even  the  appearance  of  injustice. 

No  portion  of  the  Indian  lands  has  ever  been  claimed 
by  our  government,  under  the  usages  of  war.  The  treaty 
of  Greenville,  made  by  General  Wayne  in  1795,  at  the 
head  of  a  victorious  army,  with  the  chiefs  of  the  tribes 
who  had  just  before  been  vanquished  by  him  in  battle,  is 
one  of  the  first  in  date,  in  reference  to  the  public  domain, 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  157 

and  affords  sufficient  evidence  of  the  early  adoption  of  a 
pacific  and  just  policy  by  our  government.  Nothing  is 
claimed  in  that  treaty  by  right  of  conquest.     The  parties 

agree  to  establish  perpetual  peace — the  Indiana  acknowl- 
edge themselves  to  be  under  the  protection  of  the  United 
Smtes,  and  not  of  any  foreign  power — they  promise  to 
sell  their  land  to  the  United  States  only — the  latter  agrees 
to  protect  them,  and  a  few  regulations  are  adopted  to  go- 
vern the  intercourse  which  shall  ensue.  A  boundary  line 
is  established  by  which  the  Indians  confirm  to  us  large 
tracts  of  land,  nearly  all  of  which  had  been  ceded  to  us 
by  former  treaties;  and  the  United  States  agrees  to  pay 
them  in  goods  to  the  value  of  $20,000,  and  to  make  them 
a  further  payment  of  $9,500  annually.  Most  of  the  trea- 
ties subsequently  made,  have  been  framed  on  this  model. 

In  the  year  1803,  President  Jefferson  in  a  letter  to  the 
Governor  of  Indiana,  makes  use  of  the  following  language : 
"  Our  system  is  to  live  in  perpetual  peace  with  the  Indi- 
ans, to  cultivate  an  affectionate  attachment  from  them,  by 
every  thing  just  and  liberal  we  can  do  for  them,  within 
the  bounds  of  reason,  and  by  giving  them  effectual  pro- 
tection against  wrongs  from  our  own  people."  The  sys- 
tem thus  early  adopted,  has  been  invariably  pursued  ; 
however  the  views  of  the  government  may  have  heen 
misunderstood,  or  the  faith  of  treaties  violated,  by  indi- 
viduals, the  action  of  congress  and  of  the  cabinet,  in  the 
extinguishment  of  Indian  titles,  has  been  benevolent  and 
uniform.  The  legislation  of  some  of  the  states,  has  been 
less  equitable,  and  should  not  be  confounded  with  that  of 
the  general  government. 

As  a  eonsiderable  part  of  the  country  which  is  now  held 
by  the  United  States,  as  public  lands,  had  been  subject  tp 
several  foreign  powers  successively,  portions  of  it  were 
claimed  by  inhabitants  and  others,  either  by  right  of  oc- 
cupancy, or  by  titles  said  to  be  derived  from  those  several 

governments,  or  from  the  local  authorities  acting  under 

O 


133  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

them.  To  investigate  such  claims,  boards  of  commis- 
sioners have  been  appointed  by  various  acts  of  congress, 
to  act  within  the  several  territories,  whose  powers  and 
duties  have  been  modified  according  to  the  nature  of  the 
claims  to  be  examined  before  them  ;  some  having  final 
jurisdiction,  while  others  were  only  authorized  to  inves- 
tigate and  report  the  facts,  with  their  opinion.  But  the 
intention  of  the  government,  seems  uniformly  to  have 
been  to  guard  against  imposition — to  confirm  all  bona 
fide  claims  derived  from  a  legitimate  authority,  even  when 
the  title  had  not  been  completed — to  allow  claims  founded 
on  equitable  principles — and  to  secure  in  their  possessions 
all  actual  settlers,  who  were  found  on  the  land  when  the 
United  States  became  the  proprietary  of  the  country  in 
which  it  was  situated,  although  they  had  only  a  right  by 
occupancy. 

So  far  then  as  a  title  by  purchase  could  be  gained,  that 
title  has  been  acquired  by  the  Federal  Republic.  She  has 
extinguished  every  title  which  could  be  possibly  set  up, 
as  adverse  to  her  own  ;  namely,  those  of  foreign  nations, 
those  of  the  Indian  tribes,  and  those  of  such  states  as 
possessed  or  alledged  them  ;  and  she  has  confirmed  to  in- 
dividuals, every  acre  to  which  the  plausible  shadow  of  a 
right  could  be  shewn,  either  in  law  or  equity. 

The  validity  of  those  purchases,  or  of  the  rights  ac- 
quired under  them,  has  never  been  disputed ;  but  since 
the  acquisition  of  that  territory,  portions  of  it  have  been 
erected  into  separate  states,  which  have  been  admitted  in- 
to the  Union,  and  it  has  been  contended  in  Congress,  and 
elsewhere,  that  by  the  act  of  admitting  a  state  into  the 
Union,  the  government  forfeits  her  claim  to  the  unsold 
lands  within  the  boundaries  of  such  state.  It  is  argued 
that  under  the  laws  of  nations,  "  the  sovereignty  of  a 
state  includes  the  right  to  exercise  supreme  and  exclu- 
sive control  over  all  the  lands  within  it" — that,  "the 
freedom  of  a  state,  is  the  right  to  do  whatever  may  be 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  159 

done  by  any  nation,  and  particularly  includes  the  right  to 
dispose  of  all  public  lands  within  its  limits,  according  to 
its  own  will  and  pleasure" — and  that  sovereignty  and 
freedom  are  inseparable  from  the  condition  of  an  inde- 
pendent state.  It  is  urged,  that  the  original  states  pos- 
sess supreme  and  exclusive  control  over  the  lands  within 
their  limits,  and  that  the  new  states  being  by  compact  in- 
vested with  "  the  same  rights  of  freedom,  sovereignty,  and 
Independence,  with  the  other  states,"  the  right  to  dispose 
of  the  soil  is  among  the  attributes  of  sovereignty  thus 
guarantied  to  them.  It  is  contended  that  the  Federal  Gov- 
ernment cannot  hold  lands  within  the  limits  of  a  state,  be- 
cause that  power  has  not  been  expressly  given  by  the 
Constitution,  except  in  the  case  of  "places  purchased  by 
the  consent  of  the  legislature  of  the  state  in  which  the 
same  shall  be,  for  the  erection  of  forts,"  &c.  ;  and  that 
the  power  of  disposing  of  the  soil,  not  being  given,  is  re- 
served to  the  states  respectively.  That  section  of  the 
Constitution  which  declares  that  "  Congress  shall  have 
power  to  dispose  of  and  make  all  needful  rules  respecting 
the  territory,  or  other,  property  belonging  to  the  United 
States,"  is  said  to  be  "clearly  adapted  to  the  territorial 
rights  of  the  United  States,  beyond  the  limits  or  bounda- 
ries of  any  of  the  states,  and  to  their  chattel  interests," 
and  therefore  not  applicable  to  this  question. 

The  objections  thus  raised  were  ingenious,  and  the  im- 
mense magnitude  of  the  rights  and  value  of  the  property 
involved,  gave  them  for  the  moment  a  serious  and  impos- 
ing aspect.  But  it  was  easily  discovered  on  examina- 
tion, that  they  were  unsound  and  merely  specious.  The 
claim  thus  set  up  for  the  new  states  found  few  advocates. 
On  the  floor  of  Congress  its  existence  was  brief,  its  death 
sudden,  its  fate  unlamented.  In  the  public  prints  it  was 
scarcely  noticed,  except  to  be  briefly  disapproved.  Not- 
withstanding its  ad  Captandum  character,  it  failed  to  he- 
come  popular,  even  in  the  country   where  it  originated. 


160  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

An  objection  which  seems  not  to  have  occurred  to  its 
authors,  was  too  obvious  to  escape  the  common  sense  of 
a  people,  alive  to  their  own  interests,  and  intelligent  in 
all  that  concerns  their  rights.  The  government  has  the 
same  title,  and  neither  more  nor  less,  to  the  unsold  lands 
in  the  several  states,  which  she  had  at  the  moment  after 
the  admission  of  those  states  into  the  Union.  If  her  title 
is  defective  now,  it  was  equally  so  at  that  time  ;  and  every 
sale  made  in  any  new  state  since  its  admission,  is  illegal. 
The  great  mass  of  land  titles  in  the  new  states,  would, 
by  the  admission  of  this  doctrine,  become  unsettled.  Of 
the  million  of  inhabitants  of  Ohio,  a  vast  proportion  of 
th°  freeholders  would  become  intruders  on  public  land. 
The  people  are  too  intelligent  to  submit  to  such  an  out- 
rage, the  states  too  just  to  open  a  door  for  the  ingress  of 
such  a  flood  of  misery,  confusion,  and  fraud,  as  would 
sweep  over  the  land  in  the  event  of  a  consummation  so  de- 
voutly to  be  deprecated.  It  is  a  singular  coincidence,  and 
one  perfectly  conclusive,  of  the  little  faith  reposed  by 
any  in  this  claim,  that  the  legislatures  of  those  states, 
which  have  wholly  or  partially  sanctioned  this  doctrine, 
have  invariably,  at  the  same  sessions,  distinctly  denied  it 
in  their*  acts  of  ordinary  legislation,  by  the  passage  of 
laws  recognising  "  the  lands  of  the  United  States  "  to 
nomine,  by  the  adoption  of  memorials  to  Congress,  ask- 
ing for  grants,  and  by  various  other  substantive  recogni- 
tions, both  direct  and  incidental. 

It  is  obvious  too,  that  if  this  question  can  be  said  to  have 
now  any  definite  existence,  its  importance  must  be  hourly 
decreasing.  Every  acre  of  land  that  is  sold,  diminishes 
the  amount  in  controversy,  and  every  creation  of  a  free- 
holder adds  to  the  number  of  its  interested  opponents. 
It  may  not  however  be  uninteresting  to  state  a  few  of  the 
points  which  are  very  properly  urged  against  this  singu- 
lar claim. 

The  cessions   by  Virginia  and  the  other  states,  were 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  161 

made  antecedently  to  the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Consti- 
tution ;  and  having  been  ratified  in  the  manner  prescribed 
by  the  articles  of  confederation,  the  title  vested  in  the 
United  States  was  valid,  for  the  purposes  expressed  in  the 
several  deeds  of  cession.  The  Federal  Constitution  hav- 
ing been  subsequently  adopted,  the  clause  giving  to  Con- 
gress the  "  power  to  dispose  of  and  make  all  needful 
rules  and  regulations  respecting  the  territory  or  other  pro- 
perty belonging  to  the  United  States,"  must  have  had  re- 
ference to  the  territory  and  other  property  then  held,  and 
of  course,  vested  in  Congress  the  power  to  dispose  of  the 
lands  in  question,  and  to  make  all  needful  rules  and  regu- 
lations respecting  them.  When,  therefore,  the  people  in- 
habiting those  territories  applied  for  admission  into  the 
Union,  it  was  competent  to  Congress,  having  power  to 
legislate  on  the  subject  matter,  to  make  conditions  re- 
serving her  own  proprietary  rights.  Such  conditions 
were  made  with  all  the  new  states,  as  will  be  seen  by  in- 
specting their  several  constitutions.  Those  constitutions 
were  submitted  to  Congress  for  its  ratification,  and  of 
course  have  the  binding  effect  of  compacts,  as  between 
the  parties.  In  all  of  them,  the  proprietary  character  of 
the  United  States,  is  distinctly  recognised,  large  quantities 
of  land  are  transferred  by  the  United  States,  to  the  states 
respectively,  for  specific  purposes,  and  accepted  by  the 
latter,  and  equivalents  reserved  to  be  paid  to  the  United 
States  in  return.  Subsequently  to  their  admission  into 
the  Union,  all  of  those  states  have  been  applicants  to  Con- 
gress for  donations  of  land  lying  within  their  respective 
limits,  and  all  of  them  have  received  large  grants  of  such 
land. 

It  may  be  remarked  also,  that  the  laws  of  nations  have 
no  binding  effect  as  between  the  members  of  a  confeder- 
acy, or  as  between  a  confederated  nation  and  one  of  its 
members,  when  those  laws  come  into  contact  with  the  in- 
ternal policv,  statutes,  or  compacts  of  such  nation.  Every 

o  2 


162  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

nation  has  a  right  to  regulate  its  own  affairs,  and  to  govern, 
or  to  make  compacts  with,  its  own  members,  without  re- 
spect to  the  laws  of  nations,  which  could  in  such  cases, 
only  be  appealed  to,  where  foreign  states,  not  parties  to 
the  laws  or  compacts  so  made,  should  be  affected  by  them. 
Whatever,  then,  might  have  been  the  situation  of  those 
lands  under  the  laws  of  nations,  if  no  legislation  had 
taken  place  respecting  them,  a  widely  different  case  is 
presented,  when,  by  solemn  acts,  by  express  laws,  and 
long  acquiescence,  the  proprietary  rights  of  the  parties 
have  been  clearly  settled,  and  distinctly  recognised. 

It  is  understood,  that  the  United  States  can  assume  no 
sovereignty  over  any  of  the  new  states,  or  over  her  lands 
within  such  state,  other  than  such  as  is  strictly  proprie- 
tary. .Her  title  gives  her  no  civil  jurisdiction.  She  can 
claim  no  taxes,  exact  no  obedience,  other  than  she  may 
demand  from  the  citizens  of  all  other  states.  She  simply 
holds  her  property,  with  the  right  to  sell  and  convey  the 
same  at  her  own  pleasure,  and  with  power  to  make  need- 
ful rules  and  regulations  for  its  disposition.  The  free- 
dom, sovereignty,  and  independence,  of  the  New  States, 
are  therefore  not  infringed  ;  and  if  it  be  admitted  that  the 
right  to  dispose  of  the  soil  within  its  limits  be  incident  to 
the  sovereignty  of  a  state,  it  is  replied,  that  such  right 
applies  only  to  waste,  unoccupied  or  vacant  land,  and 
that  our  states  cannot  exercise  such  a  power  over  lands, 
which  before  their  admission  into  the  union,  were  held 
in  fee  simple,  by  the  United  States,  or  by  individuals. 
It  is  not  denied  that  the  title  of  the  United  States,  as 
originally  acquired,  was  a  good  one  ;  that  those  who  have 
purchased  from  her,  lands  within  the  limits  of  a  state, 
previously  to  the  erection  of  that  state,  hold  titles  equally 
valid  ;  and  that  those  titles  cannot  now  be  modified,  nar- 
rowed, or  abrogated,  by  any  legislation.  Suppose,  then, 
that  previous  to  the  admission  of  any  one  of  the  new 
states  into  the  union,  the  United  States  had  sold  to  an 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  163 

individual,  all  her  land  remaining  undisposed  of  within 
the  limits  of  a  state  so  about  to  be  admitted,  would  not 
that  sale  have  been  valid  ?  would  not  the  title  of  the  pur- 
chaser of  a  thousand  of  tracts,  have  been  as  indefeasible 
as  that  of  the  buyer  of  a  single  tract?  would  the  admis- 
sion of  the  state  into  the  union,  have  affected  the  property 
of  any  such  purchaser  ?  If  these  propositions  be  answer- 
ed in  the  manner  in  which  we  suppose  they  must  be,  it 
is  difficult  to  perceive  how  or  why  the  United  States, 
having  the  privilege  to  sell  or  retain  her  own  undisputed 
property,  should  by  electing  to  hold  it,  be  thereby  placed 
in  a  worse  situation  than  her  grantee  would  have  occu- 
pied had  her  election  been  different. 

It  is  further  urged,  that  the  territory  alluded  to,  was 
purchased  with  the  treasure  of  the  United  States,  that  it 
has  been  protected,  surveyed,  and  brought  into  market  at 
the  expense  of  the  nation,  and  that  by  the  express  stipu- 
lations of  the  cessions  from  the  several  states,  that  terri- 
tory was  set  apart  "  as  a  common  fund  for  the  use  and 
benefit  Of"  all  the  states,  "  according  to  their  usual  respec- 
tive proportions  in  the  general  charge  and  exp  nditure." 
There  was  therefore  a  consideration  given  for  the  lands, 
and  an  use  specifically  reserved  ;  the  states  subsequently 
admitted  became  parties  to  this  as  well  as  to  all  other 
public  treaties,  compacts,  and  laws,  of  the  union  ;  and 
they  accepted  the  territory  allotted  to  them  respectively 
for  the  exercise  of  their  state  sovereignty,  subject  to  its 
encumbrances. 

Other  arguments  have  been  used,  in  reference  to  this 
subject  which  we  think  it  needless  to  repeat.  Some  of 
them  are  founded  on  considerations  of  expediency  rather 
than  of  right ;  and  many  of  them  appeal  to  sectional  pre- 
judices and  local  interests,  which  we  have  studiously 
abstained  from  bringing  into  view  ;  preferring  to  narrow 
down  our  abstract  into  a  naked  statement  of  such  promin- 
ent facts  and  suggestions  as  may  place  before  the  reader 


164  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

the  leading  features  of  this  inquiry.     We  proceed  there- 
fore to  consider : 

2.  The  policy  adopted  by  the  government  in  the  dis' 
posal  of  the  public  domain. 

In  1787  the  Ohio  company  purchased  a  large  tract  from 
congress  ;  which  body  having  adopted  no  system  for  the 
sale  of  lands,  or  the  settlement  of  the  western  country, 
seemed  disposed  to  favour  the  mode  of  parceling  out  her 
wide  domains  in' extensive  grants.  The  purchase  of  the 
Ohio  company  comprehended  one  million  and  a  half  of 
acres.  Joel  Barlow  was  sent  by  them  to  Europe  to  sell 
these  lands  ;  and  to  facilitate  his  operations  a  subordinate 
company  was  formed,  called  the  Sciota  company,  to  whom 
the  lands  were  conveyed.  Mr.  Barlow  made  considera- 
ble sales  to  individuals  and  companies  in  France,  and 
many  emigrants  came  to  this  country,  who  would  have 
been  ruined  by  the  bad  faith  of  the  company,  had  not  the 
government  generously  interfered  in  their  behalf. 

In  1789,  Mr.  John  Cleves  Symmes  contracted  with 
congress,  for  the  purchase  of  a  million  of  acres  of  land, 
between  the  great  and  little  Miami ;  but  in  consequence 
of  a  failure  on  his  part,  to  make  the  stipulated  payments, 
did  not  become  the  proprietor  of  so  large  a  tract,  the  pa- 
tent which  finally  issued  to  him  and  his  associates,  includ- 
ed only  311,682  acres,  of  which  only  248,540  became 
private  property ;  the  remainder  consisting  of  reservations 
for  a  variety  of  public  purposes,  chiefly  for  the  use  of 
schools  and  the  support  of  religion. 

The  remark  that  occurs  to  us  most  forcibly,  in  revert 
ing  to  this  portion  of  history,  is  the  improvidence  of  con 
gress,  in  making  so  large  a  grant  of  lands   to  individuals 
Happily  for  the  country,  the  instances  of  such  extensive 
grants  were  few  ;  and  it  is  perhaps  equally  matter  of  con- 
gratulation, that  they  did  not,  in  any  instance,  yield  to  the 
individuals  concerned  in    them,   advantages    sufficiently 
great,  to  render  the  applications  for  such  monopolies  nu- 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  1G5 

merous  or  influential.  It  is,  perhaps,  chiefly  in  conse- 
quence of  this  fact,  that  the  evil  was  avoided;  for  it  does 
not  appear,  that  congress  was  at  first  aware  of  the  calami- 
tous results  which  must  have  followed  the  parceling  out 
of  this  noble  region  to  a  few  wealthy  proprietors,  whose 
interests  would  often  have  been  hostile  to  those  of  the 
people.  This  principle,  however,  was  not  at  first  under- 
stood. We  can  easily  see  why  the  foreign  sovereignties, 
under  whose  sway  we  were  originally  placed,  should  have 
made,  as  they  frequently  did,  extensive  grants  of  land  to 
individuals  or  companies;  but  it  is  a  little  singular,  that 
our  own  government  should  have  fallen  into  the  same 
misguided  policy.  The  earliest  law  passed  by  congress, 
for  the  sale  of  the  lands  of  the  United  States,  provided  for 
its  disposal  to  purchasers  in  tracts  of  four  thousand  acres 
each  ;  and  did  not  allow  the  selling  of  a  smaller  quantity, 
except  in  case  of  the  fractions  created  by  the  angles  and 
sinuosities  of  the  rivers.  The  law  was  highly  unfavora- 
ble to  actual  settlers,  as  it  prevented  persons  of  moderate 
property  from  acquiring  freeholds ;  and  would  have  ena- 
bled persons  of  wealth  to  become  proprietors,  and  to  sell 
the  land  to  the  cultivator  at  exorbitant  prices,  or  else  have 
forced  the  latter  to  be  tenants  under  the  former.  With 
the  notions  that  many  of  our  statesmen  had  derived  from 
Great  Britain,  and  which  notwithstanding  the  recent 
rupture  of  our  connection  with  that  country,  still  remain- 
ed impressed  upon  us,  with  all  the  force  of  education  and 
association,  it  is  perhaps  not  surprising,  that  they  should 
have  deemed  it  advantageous  to  create  a  landed  aristocra- 
cy ;  but  it  is  more  probable,  that  the  error  arose  from 
accident  and  carelessness.  It  is  curious,  however,  to 
look  back  at  these  first  awkward  attempts  at  republican 
legislation,  and  to  see  how  gradually  we  shook  off  the 
habits  of  thought  in  which  we  had  been  trained,  and  how 
slowly  the  shackles  of  prejudice  fell  from  around  us. 


166  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

In  a  report  of  Mr.  Hamilton,  Secretary  of  Treasury, 
dated  July  20,  1790,  he  advises,  the  following  system : — 

That  no  land  shall  be  sold  except  such  in  respect  to 
which  the  titles  of  the  Indian  tribes  shall  have  been  pre- 
viously extinguished. 

That  a  sufficient  tract  shall  be  reserved  and  set  apart 
for  satisfying  the  subscribers  to  the  proposed  loan,  in  the 
public  debt,  but  that  no  location  shall  be  for  less  than 
500  acres. 

That  convenient  tracts  shall  from  time  to  time  be  set 
apart  for  the  purpose  of  locations  by  actual  settlers,  in 
quantities  not  exceeding,  to  one  person,  100  acres. 

That  other  tracts  shall  from  time  to  time,  be  set  apart 
for  sales  in  townships  of  ten  miles  square,  except  where 
they  shall  adjoin  upon  a  boundary  of  some  prior  grant, 
or  of  a  tract  so  set  apart,  in  which  cases  there  shall  be  no 
greater  departure  from  such  form  of  location  than  may  be 
absolutely  necessary. 

That  any  quantities  may  nevertheless  be  sold  by  special 
contract,  comprehended  either  within  natural  boundaries, 
or  lines,  or  both. 

That  the  price  shall  be  30  cents  per  acre  to  be  paid 
either  in  gold  or  silver,  or  in  public  securities,  computing 
those  which  shall  bear  an  immediate  interest  of  6  per 
cent,  as  at  par  with  gold  and  silver ;  and  those  which 
bear  a  future  or  less  interest,  if  any,  shall  be  at  a  propor- 
tional value.  That  certificates  issued  for  land  upon  the 
proposed  loan  shall  operate  as  warrants  within  the  tract 
or  tracts  which  shall  be  specially  set  apart  for  satisfying 
the  subscribers  thereto,  and  shall  also  be  receivable  in  all 
payments  whatever  for  lands  by  way  of  discount  acre  for 
acre. 

That  no  credit  shall  be  given  for  any  quantity  less  than 
a  township  of  ten  miles  square,  nor  more  than  two  years 
credit  for  any  less  quantity. 

That  in  every  instance  of  credit,  at  least  one  quarter 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  167 

part  of  the  consideration  shall  be  paid  down,  and  security 
other  than  the  land  itself,  thai]  be  required  for  the  residue. 

And  that  no  tide:  shall  he  given  for  any  trad  <>r  part  of  a 
purchase,  beyond  the  quantity  lor  which  the  considera- 
tion shall  be  actually  paid. 

That  all  surveys  of  land  shall  be  at  the  expense  of  the 
purchasers  or  grantees. — 

The  first  step  towards  a  change  in  that  objectionable  sys- 
tem, which  contemplated  sales  in  lartre  tracts,  and  on 
credit  was  the  passage  of  the  act  of  the  10th  of  May  1800, 
which  provided  for  the  sale  of  land  in  sections  and  half 
sections.  Previous  to  that  time  no  more  than  121,510 
acres  had  been  sold,  in  addition  to  the  sale  to  Symmes : 
namely,  72,974  acres,  at  public  sale  in  New  York  in 
1787,  for  $87,325,  in  evidences  of  public  debt;  43,446 
acres,  at  public  sale  at  Pittsburgh  in  1796  for  $100,427  ; 
and  5,120  acres  at  Philadelphia  in  the  same  year,  at  two 
dollars  per  acre. 

The  plan  of  selling  land  in  sections  and  half  sections, 
the  former  of  640  acres,  and  the  latter  of  320  acres,  was 
first  proposed  in  congress,  by  General  William  H.  Har- 
rison, when  a  delegate  from  the  northwestern  territory, 
in  1799,  and  produced  a  sensation  which  shewed  how 
little  mature  thought  had  been  bestowed  on  the  subject  in 
that  body.     The  law  was  certainly  one  of  the  most  bene- 
ficial tendency  ;   and  its  passage  constitutes  an  epoch  in 
the  history  of  this  country,  of  perhaps  greater  magnitude 
and  interest  than  any  other  in  our  annals  ;  for  no  act  of 
the  government  has  ever  borne  so  immediately  upon  the 
settling,  the  rapid  improvement,  and  the  permanent  pros- 
perity of  the  western  states.     The  ordinance  of  1787,  is 
justly  regarded  as  an  instrument  of  vast  importance,  and 
singularly  propitious  consequences;  but  in  its   practical 
operation  and  salutary  results,  it  sinks  in  comparison  with 
the  system  of  selling  the  public  domain,  which  has  placed 
the  acquisition  of  real  estate  within  the  reach  of  the  labor- 


168  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

ing  classes,  and  rendered  the  titles  to  land  perfectly  se- 
cure. It  is  understood,  that  this  act  was  not  the  exclusive 
production  of  General  Harrison ;  the  discriminating  genius 
of  Mr.  Gallatin,  then  a  member  of  congress,  was  also 
employed  in  its  production ;  and  although  the  earnest 
request  of  that  distinguished  citizen,  and  the  circumstan- 
ces of  the  moment,  forced  Mr.  Harrison  to  submit  to  the 
credit  of  being  its  sole  author,  the  natural  ingenuousness 
of  the  latter,  induced  him,  subsequently,  when  he  could 
do  so  with  propriety,  to  explain  his  own  part  in  the  pro- 
ceeding, and  to  give  Mr.  Gallatin  the  honor  due  him. 
The  bill  was  warmly  attacked  by  some  of  the  ablest  men 
in  the  lower  house.  Mr.  Harrison  defended  it  alone  ;  he 
exposed  the  folly  and  iniquity  of  the  old  system  ;  demon- 
strated that  it  could  only  result  to  the  benefit  of  the 
wealthy  monopolist,  while  the  hardy  and  useful  popula- 
tion, which  has  since  poured  into  the  fertile  plains  of 
Ohio,  and  made  it,  in  thirty  years,  the  third  state  in  the 
Union,  must  have  been  excluded  from  her  borders,  or 
have  taken  the  land  on  terms  dictated  by  the  wealthy  pur- 
chasers from  the  government. 

In  1802  a  convention  was  held  at  Vincinnes,  of  which 
General  Harrison  was  president,  at  which  a  petition  was 
adopted,  praying  of  congress,  that  a  provision  of  one  36th 
part  of  the  public  lands  within  the  territory  of  Indiana, 
be  made  for  the  support  of  schools  within  the  same  ;  and 
on  the  2nd  of  March  succeeding,  Mr.  Randolph,  the 
chairman  of  a  committee  to  whom  this  subject  was  re- 
ferred, made  a  favorable  report.  This  was  the  commence- 
ment of  our  beneficent  system  for  the  support  of  public 
schools. 

As  early  as  1803,  petitions  were  presented  to  congress 
praying  for  various  improvements  or  changes  in  the  mode 
of  selling  lands,  among  which  the  most  prominent  sug- 
gestions were,  To  sell  the  land  in  smaller  tracts — to 
charge  no  interest  on  sales — to  sell  for  cash — to  reduce 


m 

PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  169 

the  price — and  to  make  grants  of  small  tracts  to  actual 
settlers. 

On  the  23d  January  1804,  a  report  was  made  in  the 
House  of  Representatives,  recommending  the  reduction 
of  the  size  of  the  tracts,  and  the  sale  of  quarter  sections 
in  the  townships  which  had  before  been  offered  in  half 
sections,  and  the  sale  of  half  sections  in  those  which  had 
been  offered  in  whole  sections. 

The  present  admirable  system  of  selling  the  public 
lands,  may  be  dated  as  having  commenced  with  the  act 
of  May  10,  1800,  though  several  important  improvements 
have  been  made  since  that  time.  It  is  not  necessary  to 
notice  all  these  changes.  All  the  lands  within  each  dis- 
trict, are  surveyed  before  any  part  is  offered  for  sale; 
being  actually  divided  into  toivnships  of  six  miles  square, 
and  each  of  these  subdivided  into  thirty  six  sections  of 
one  mile  square,  containing  six  hundred  and  forty  acres 
each.  All  the  dividing  lines  run  according  to  the  cardinal 
points,  and  cross  each  other  at  right  angles,  except  where 
fractional  sections  are  formed  by  large  streams,  or  by  an 
Indian  boundary  line.  These  sections  are  again  divided 
into  quarter,  half  quarter,  and  quarter  quarter  sections, 
containing  160,  80,  and  40  acres  respectively,  of  which 
the  lines  are  not  actually  surveyed,  but  the  corners, 
boundaries,  and  contents,  are  ascertained  by  fixed  rules 
prescribed  by  law.  This  branch  of  business  is  conduct- 
ed under  two  principal  surveyors,  who  appoint  their  own 
deputies.  The  sections  in  each  township  are  numbered 
from  1  to  36,  the  townships  are  placed  in  ranges,  and 
also  numbered.  The  surveys  are  founded  upon  a  series 
of  true  meridians  ;  (he  first  principal  meridian  is  in  Ohio, 
the  second  in  Indiana,  the  third  in  Illinois,  &c,  each 
forming  the  base  of  a  series  of  surveys,  of  which  the  lines 
are  made  to  correspond,  so  that  the  whole  country  is  at 
last  divided  into  squares  of  one  mile  each,  and  townships 

P 


170  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

of  six  miles  each,  and  these  subdivisions  arranged  with 
mathematical  accuracy  into  parallel  ranges. 

This  system  is  as  simple,  as  it  is  on  several  accounts 
peculiarly  happy.  Disputes  in  relation  to  boundaries  can 
seldom  occur  where  the  dividing  lines  can  be  at  all  times 
corrected  by  the  cardinal  points  ;  where  the  same  line  be- 
ing extended  throughout  a  whole  region,  is  not  dependent 
on  visible  marks  or  corners,  but  can  readily  be  ascertained 
at  any  moment,  by  calculation  and  measurement ;  and 
where  one  point,  being  ascertained,  furnishes  the  basis 
for  an  indefinite  number  of  surveys  around  it.  Such  lines 
too,  are  easily  preserved,  and  not  readily  forgotten. 

A  vast  deal  of  accurate  and  useful  information  is  fur- 
nished to  the  public  through  the  medium  of  this  system. 
The  whole  surface  of  the  country  is  actually  surveyed 
and  measured.  The  courses  of  the  rivers  and  smaller 
streams  are  accurately  ascertained  and  measured,  through 
all  their  meanders.  Our  maps  are  therefore  exact,  and 
the  facilities  for  measuring  distances  remarkably  conveni- 
ent. Many  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  country  are  dis- 
covered, and  its  resources  pointed  out,  in  the  course  of 
this  minute  exploration  ;  and  a  mass  of  well  authenti- 
cated facts  are  registered  in  the  proper  department,  such 
as  the  topographer  can  find  in  relation  to  no  other  country. 

After  the  land  has  been  surveyed,  districts  are  laid  off, 
in  each  of  which  a  land  office  is  established,  and  on  a 
day  appointed  by  the  President,  the  whole  of  the  land  is 
offered  at  public  sale,  to  the  highest  bidder ;  but  not  al- 
lowed to  be  sold  below  a  certain  minimum  price.  Such 
tracts  as  are  not  sold  at  that  time,  may  at  any  time  after- 
wards, be  purchased  at  the  minimum  price,  at  private 
sale. 

From  all  the  sales,  one  thirty-sixth  part  of  the  land, 
being  one  entire  section  in  each  township,  is  reserved, 
and  given  in  perpetuity  for  the  support  of  schools  in  the 
township  ;    section  No.  16,  which  is  nearly    central    in 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  171 

each  township,  is  designated  by  law,  for  that  purpose 
In  each  of  the  new  states  and  territories  one  entire  town- 
ship, containing  23,040  acres,  (and  in  some  instances  two 
townships)  has  been  reserved,  and  given  in  perpetuity  to 
the  state,  when  formed,  for  the  support  of  seminaries  of 
learning   of  the   highest  class.     Five   per   cent,  on    the 
amount  of  the  sales  of  land  within  each  state,  is  reserved 
three-fifths  of  which  is  to  be  expended  by  Congress  in 
making  roads  leading  to  the  state,  and  two-iiftlis  to  be  ex- 
pended by  such  state  in  the  encouragement  of  learning. 
All  salt  springs,  and  lead  mines,  are  reserved,  and  leased 
by  the  government,  but  many  of  these  have  since  been 
given  up  to  the  states. 

The  lands  reserved  for  schools  and  seminaries  of  learn- 
ing, have  never  been  considered  as  gratuitous  grants  to 
the  states  receiving  them  ;  each  of  these  states  having 
made  ample  remuneration  to  the  general  government.  Il- 
linois, for  example,  agreed  that  all  lands  sold  by  the  Unit- 
ed States,  within  that  state,  should  remain  exempt  from 
taxation  for  five  years  after  such  sale,  and  that  lands 
granted  for  military  services,  should  remain  exempt  from 
taxation  for  three  years,  if  held  so  long  by  the  patentees. 
The  taxes  thus  relinquished  by  that  state,  will  have 
amounted,  when  all  the  lands  in  its  limits  shall  be  sold, 
to  near  a  million  of  dollars. 

The  business  of  the  land  office,  in  each  district,  is 
transacted  by  a  Register,  and  a  Receiver,  by  the  first  of 
whom  the  land  is  sold  to  individual  purchasers,  while  the 
other  receives  the  money.  These  officers  are  entirely 
independent  of  each  other,  their  duties  distinct,  and  their 
responsibilities  separate.  They  are  required  to  keep 
similar  books  of  account,  and  to  make  respectively,  pe- 
riodical reports  to  the  General  land  office  at  Washington 
i — the  one  of  his  sales,  the  other  of  his  receipts  ;  so  that 
the  offices  operate  as  cheeks  on  each  other  ;  and  as  neither 
has  any  pecuniary  interest  in  the  fidelity  of  the  other, 


172  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

there  is  no  temptation  to  collusion.  They  each  keep 
plots  of  all  the  land  in  their  district,  sold  or  unsold,  on 
which  each  tract  is  distinctly  marked  and  numbered,  so 
that  the  purchaser  in  making  his  selection  may  examine 
for  himself.  No  discretion  is  vested  in  the  land  officers, 
in  reference  to  the  sale  :  the  purchaser  having  selected  his 
tract,  or  as  many  tracts  as  he  may  desire,  they  have  simply 
to  discharge  the  ministerial  duty  of  receiving  the  money, 
and  granting  the  evidence  of  title. 

Previous  to  the  year  1820,  the  price  demanded  by 
government  for  its  land,  was  two  dollars  per  acre,  one 
fourth  of  which  was  paid  at  the  time  of  purchase,  and  the 
remainder  in  three  equal  annual  instalments  ;  a  discount 
of  eight  per  cent,  being  allowed  to  the  purchaser,  if  the 
whole  was  paid  in  advance.  This  arrangement,  however 
liberally  intended,  was  found  to  be  productive  of  great 
mischief.  The  relation  of  debtor  and  creditor,  can  never 
be  safely  created,  between  a  government  and  its  citizens. 
If  the  citizen  is  creditor,  his  demands  are  as  exorbitant, 
as  his  power  to  enforce  payment  is  inefficient,  and  the 
claim  which  should  be  made  to  the  justice,  becomes  an 
appeal  to  the  generosity,  of  the  debtor.  If  the  govern- 
ment is  creditor,  the  moral  obligation  to  pay,  is  lightly 
felt,  and  the  legal  obligation  leniently  enforced.  The 
debtor  expects  indulgence,  and  makes  his  contract  under 
that  expectation.  He  enters  into  an  engagement  with  less 
circumspection  than  he  would  use  if  dealing  with  an  in- 
dividual, under  the  belief  that  he  will  not  find  in  the  gov- 
ernment a  rigid  creditor ;  and  under  the  same  conviction 
neglects  to  make  any  strenuous  exertion  to  comply  with 
his  contract.  The  selling  of  the  public  lands,  therefore, 
on  a  credit,  was  shewn  by  experience  to  be  unwise.  The 
country  was  new,  the  soil  fine,  and  the  spirit  of  emigra- 
tion active.  Large  purchases  were  made  by  individuals, 
who  had  not  the  means  of  payment.  Persons  who  had 
only  money  enough  to  pay  the  first  instalment  on  one  or 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN".  173 

more  tracts,  disbursed  their  whole  capit&l  in  making  the 
prompt  payment  required  at  the  time  of  entry, depending 
on  future  contingencies  for  the  power  to  discharge  the 
other  three-fourths  of  their  liabilities.     This  was  done, 

in  most  cases,  without  the  least  intention  to  defraud  ;  the 
risk  of  loss  being  entirely  on  the  side  of  the  purchaser, 
and  the  allurement  to  make  the  venture,  such  as  few  men 
have  the  resolution  to  withstand.  A  rapid  increase  in 
the  value  of  lands  was  generally  anticipated,  and  many 
expected  to  meet  their  engagements  by  selling  a  portion 
of  the  land  at  an  enhanced  price,  and  thus  securing  the 
portion  retained  ;  sonic  were  enticed  by  a  desire  to  secure 
choice  tracts,  and  others  deluded  by  the  belief  that  they 
could  raise  the  sums  required,  within  the  appointed  time, 
by  the  sale  of  produee  made  on  the  soil.  A  few,  by  in- 
dustry, or  by  good  fortune,  realised  these  anticipations, 
but  a  great  majority  of  the  purchasers,  at  the  expiration 
of  the  term  limited  for  the  payment  of  the  last  instal- 
ment, found  their  lands  subject  to  forfeiture  for  nonpay- 
ment. Instead  of  rising,  the  price  of  land  had  fallen,  in 
consequence  of  the  vast  quantities  thrown  into  the  mar- 
ket ;  and  the  increase  in  the  amount  of  produce  raised, 
so  far  exceeded  the  increase  of  demand  for  consumption, 
that  the  farmer  was  unable  to  realise  any  considerable  pro- 
fit from  that  source,  while  the  expenses  of  clearing  and 
improving  his  farm  required  both  labor  and  money. 
Money  was  scarce,  the  country  was  new,  without  capi 
talists,  moneyed  institutions,  or  manufactures,  and  with 
little  commerce  ;  and  while  the  sale  of  lands,  and  the  im- 
portation of  foreign  goods,  required  to  supply  tiie  wants 
of  the  people,  constituted  an  immense  and  an  eternal  drain 
of  the  circulating  medium,  across  the  mountains,  the  in- 
dustry of  the  people  was  not  yet  brought  into  action,  nor 
the  resources  of  the  country  developed,  to  a  sufficient  ex- 
tent to  afford  the  means  of  bringing  the  money  back. 
Ours  was   a   population    of  buyers.     The   demand    for 

r  2 


174  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

money  induced  the  establishment  of  local  banks,  whose 
notes  were  at  first  eagerly  taken,  but  soon  depreciated, 
having  the  usual  effect  of  driving  better  money  out  of  cir- 
culation, without  substituting  any  valuable  medium  in  its 
place.     Bank  debts  were  added  to  land  debts. 

This  state  of  things  existed  chiefly  from  1814  until 
1820.  Previous  to  the  former  period,  the  war  had  created 
an  unnatural  excitement,  unusual  expenditures  were  made, 
and  activity  was  given  to  some  branches  of  business  ;  and 
it  was  to  sustain  the  business  which  had  grown  up  during 
the  war,  that  local  banks  were  created.  The  most  of 
these  banks  were  authorised  to  commence  business  when 
one-fifth  of  their  nominal  capital  had  been  paid  in  ;  which 
provision,  liberal  as  it  was,  was  not  strictly  complied 
with — the  same  specie  being  used  for  several  banks,  and 
only  remaining  in  the  vaults  of  each  sufficiently  long  to 
enable  the  proper  officers  to  certify  that  the  requisitions 
of  the  law  had  been  observed.  A  period  of  distress  oc- 
curred which  reached  its  lowest  point  of  depression  in 
1819. 

The  whole  population  trembled  upon  the  brink  of  ruin ; 
and  had  the  federal  government  proved  a  rigid  creditor, 
this  extensive  and  beautiful  country  must  have  presented 
a  vast  scene  of  desolation.  The  purchasers  of  land  had 
become  settlers  ;  they  had  built  houses  and  opened  fields 
upon  the  soil,  the  legal  title  to  which  remained  in  the 
government.  A  few  could  have  saved  their  homes  by  the 
disposal  of  other  property  ;  the  many  could  not  purchase 
the  roof  that  sheltered  them,  at  any  sacrifice  which  they 
might  have  been  willing,  or  perhaps  able,  to  make.  Yet 
it  is  not  to  be  inferred  that  the  people  were  destitute,  or 
desperately  poor ;  far  from  it — they  were  substantial  far- 
mers, surrounded  with  all  the  means  of  comfort  and  hap- 
piness—except money.  To  have  driven  such  a  people 
to  extremity,  would  have  been  ungenerous  and  fatally  un- 
wise ;    for  now  that  the  crisis  has  passed,  we  may  say 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  175 

without  offence  or  danger,  that  there  is  no  calculating  the 
extent  of  the  private  misery,  and  the  public  convulsion, 
which  such  a  policy  would  inevitably  have  produced. 
The  enlightened  statesman,  (Mr.  Crawford,)  who  at  that 
time  presided  over  the  Treasury  department,  saw,  and 
properly  estimated  the  wants  and  feelings  of  that  part  of 
the  community,  together  with  the  relative  duty  of  the  gov- 
ernment. A  system  of  relief  was  devised,  which,  by  ex- 
tending the  time  of  payment,  and  authorising  purchasers 
to  secure  a  portion  of  their  lands  by  relinquishing  the  re- 
mainder to  the  government,  in  the  course  of  eight  years 
extinguished  a  large  portion  of  those  debts,  and  has 
eventually,  it  is  believed,  absorbed  the  whole,  without 
injury  to  the  citizen,  and  with  little  loss  to  the  govern- 
ment. 

This  subject  affords  a  theme  of  proud  felicitation  to 
the  American  patriot,  as  it  exhibits  an  evidence  of  the 
permanency  of  our  institutions.  It  is  not  easy  to  imagine 
a  crisis  more  perilous  than  the  one  to  which  we  have  al- 
luded. It  is  dangerous  to  threaten  a  high  spirited  people 
with  expulsion  from  their  homes ;  and  the  law  which  for- 
feited the  lands  of  the  western  people  upon  the  non-per- 
formance of  their  contracts,  held  out  this  alternative.  But 
under  these  appalling  circumstances,  not  a  shadow  of  dis- 
affection was  exhibited  in  the  west ;  the  people  neither 
threatened  nor  murmured,  but  looked  up  to  their  govern- 
ment for  relief,  with  a  confidence  which  remained  un- 
shaken to  the  last.  They  retained  their  loyalty  and  their 
temper,  petitioned  Congress  in  an  independent  tone,  and 
awaited  the  result  with  manly  firmness.  From  the  de- 
bates on  this  subject  in  Congress,  no  one  would  have 
guessed  the  magnitude  of  the  interests  at  stake,  or  the 
powerful  and  intense  feelings  of  anxiety  enlisted  in  the 
discussion.  The  deportment  of  all  the  parties  was  as 
temperate,  as  the  decision  was  just  and  judicious. 

Upon  granting  relief  to  the  land  purchasers,  the  credit 


176  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

system  was  abolished ;  and  lands  are  now  sold  by  the 
government  at  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  per  acre, 
payable  in  cash.  This  plan  has  had  a  more  wholesome 
operation  ;  and  the  only  difference  which  now  exists,  has 
reference  to  the  price  of  land.  To  this  two  objections 
have  been  made  ;  1st,  that  the  same  price  is  demanded 
for  all  lands,  without  respect  to  the  endless  diversity  of 
value  occasioned  by  differences  of  soil  and  situation  :  and 
2nd,  that  the  price  is  in  all  cases  too  high. 

That  the  first  is  a  valid  objection,  is  indisputable  ;  but 
it  is  not  easy  to  suggest  a  remedy  less  objectionable.  To 
divide  the  land  into  classes,  varying  in  their  actual  value, 
as  well  as  in  price,  would  perhaps  be  impracticable.  Un- 
der such  a  system,  there  must  be  an  actual  inspection  of 
each  separate  tract,  the  cost  of  Avhich  would  often  exceed 
the  value  of  the  land.  The  persons  appointed  to  make 
such  valuation  must  be  numerous,  and  each  would  have 
a  separate  standard  of  his  own,  by  which  to  estimate  the 
advantages  and  disadvantages  of  soil,  climate,  position, 
&c,  which  the  various  tracts  of  land  would  present.  An 
endless  scene  of  confusion  would  ensue.  There  would 
be  diversities  of  price,  without  any  corresponding  diver- 
sities of  value.  An  imaginary  value  would  be  given  to 
one  tract,  while  another  would  be  unreasonably  depre- 
ciated. The  person  who  wished  to  purchase  would  think 
that  an  exorbitant  price  had  been  attached  to  the  spot  se- 
lected by  him  ;  -while  the  man  who  had  already  bought, 
would  conceive  that  his  own  lands  were  reduced  in  value 
by  the  low  estimate  affixed  to  those  adjoining  him  ;  some 
would  think  that  emigration  into  the  neighborhood  was 
checked  by  having  the  lands  underrated  and  brought  into 
discredit,  while  others  would  imagine  that  it  was  prevented 
by  high  prices.  Above  all,  to  the  multitude  of  agents  in- 
trusted with  this  delicate  task,  there  would  be  opened  a 
field  for  speculation,  so  vast,  so  tempting,  and  so  fraught 
with  injury  to  the  government  and  to  individuals,  that  no 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  177 

supposed  advantages  to  be  anticipated  from  such  a  scheme 
could  compensate  lor  its  dangers. 

Another  plan  proposed  is,  to  reduce  periodically  the 
price  of  the  lands  that  have  been  fulled.  Thus,  at  the 
opening  of  a  district,  the  land  should  be  sold  at  one  dol- 
lar and  a  quarter  per  acre  ;  after  a  term  of  three  or  five 
years,  the  price  should  be  reduced  to  one  dollar  ;  at  the 
expiration  of  another  term,  another  reduction  would  oc- 
cur in  the  price,  and  so  on.  It  is  supposed  that  the 
choice  lands  would  sell  during  the  first  term  ;  that  during 
the  second  they  would  again  be  culled,  and  the  best  of 
those  remaining  unsold  would  be  taken  at  the  reduced 
price  ;  and  that  in  each  successive  term  a  portion  would 
be  sold,  until  the  whole  should  be  disposed  of,  at  prices 
somewhat  proportionate  to  their  value.  The  objection 
made  to  this  plan  is,  that  it  would  impede  the  sales  of 
land,  by  holding  out  an  inducement  to  persons  proposing 
to  purchase,  to  wait  from  term  to  term  for  the  reduction 
of  price.  We  do  not  think  this  objection  well  founded. 
Such  delay  on  the  part  of  purchasers  would  occur  to  a 
certain  extent,  but  not  to  a  degree  to  be  compared  with 
the  advantages  anticipated  by  this  change.  The  farmer 
who  had  selected  a  choice  tract  of  land,  would  not  for 
three  or  five  years  run  the  daily  risk  of  losing  it,  to  save 
forty  dollars.  The  probability  is,  that  although  in  the 
first  term  the  sales  might  be,  to  a  very  small  amount,  de- 
creased, they  would  in  the  second  and  third  terms  be  great- 
ly swelled,  and  that  on  the  whole,  the  lands  would  be  sold 
more  quickly,  and  to  better  advantage,  than  under  the 
present  system. 

The  plan  of  graduating  the  price  of  land,  in  the  man- 
ner described,  was  introduced,  in  Congress,  and  has  been 
most  zealously  advocated,  by  Col.  Benton,  of  Missouri. 
It  is  recommended  by  its  good  sense,  and  practicability, 
and  has  been  more  favorably  received  by  the  population 
of  the  new  states,  than  any  other  modification  that  has 


178  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

been  suggested.  The  opposition  to  it  in  Congress,  which 
has  prevented  its  adoption  has  probably  been  excited,  in 
part,  by  the  prominent  position  which  its  able  author  has 
occupied  as  a  party  leader,  and  which  has  rendered  this 
salutary  measure  an  object  of  partizan  warfare.  It  will, 
in  all  probability,  be  eventually  engrafted  upon  the  exist- 
ing system,  and  will  have  the  effect  of  concentrating  the 
population,  which  has  now  a  tendency  to  flow  towards 
the  extreme  frontier,  by  offering  advantages  to  purchasers 
in  the  older  land  districts,  somewhat  commensurate  with 
those  held  out  in  the  new. 

In  support  of  the  opinion  that  the  established  price  of 
the  public  lands  is  too  high,  some  plausible  reasons  have 
been  urged.  Admitting  the  fact  that  the  Federal  Repub- 
lic has  the  undisputed  title  to  the  soil,  it  does  not  follow, 
that  she  has  the  right  to  dispose  of  it  upon  her  own  terms, 
or  to  retard  its  settlement  by  the  imposition  of  unreason- 
able restrictions.  Holding  it  in  her  national  character,  it 
is  held  to  the  use  of  the  people  of  the  United  States,  and 
for  the  purpose  of  being  settled,  and  erected  into  states. 
With  regard  to  a  large  portion  of  this  country,  the  erec- 
tion of  states  was  a  condition  express,  and  with  respect 
to  the  remainder,  the  same  condition  is  implied.  Con- 
gress, therefore,  is  bound  to  throw  the  land  into  market 
upon  reasonable  terms ;  and  while  it  is  her  duty  not  to 
entice  population  from  other  sections  of  the  Union,  it  is 
equally  her  duty  not  to  retard  emigration  to  this.  The 
national  legislature  should  not  be  a  mercenary  vender  of 
property  for  gain.  The  public  land  should  be  sold  at 
its  exact  value — at  the  price  which  the  people  are  willing 
and  able  to  give  for  it. 

That  the  present  price  of  land  is  higher  than  the  people 
can  afford  to  give,  has  been  suggested  by  a  reference  to 
facts,  which  seern  to  support  this  idea.  Let  us  take  for 
example  the  state  of  Illinois,  which  is  situated  in  a  tem- 
perate latitude,  has  a  healthy  climate,  is  surrounded  with 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  179 

navigable  streams,  and  has  more  arable  land  within  its 
boundaries,  than  any  other  stair  in  the  union.     It  has  no 
manufactories,  little  trade,  few  towns,  and  none  of  those 
of  the  larger  class,  and  but  few  professional  men.     The 
people  are  agriculturalists,  all  of  whom  would,  if  they  were 
able,  own  one  or  more  tracts   of  land,  and  all   of  whom 
ought,  in  good  policy,  to  be  encouraged  in  their  desire  to 
possess  the  land  they  till.     The  whole  quantity  of  land 
sold  in  this  state,  up   to  July  1828,  was  little  over  one 
million  of  acres,  which  divided  into  tracts  of  160  acres, 
will  give  seven  thousand  such  tracts — we  throw  off  the 
fractions.     The  number  of  votes  actually  given  at  the 
election  in  August  in  the  same  year,  was  nearly  seventeen 
thousand  ;  and  supposing  that  one  man  in  every  eighteen 
did  not  vote,  we  may  set  down  the   number  of  persons 
entitled  to   suffrage,  at  eighteen  thousand.     Those  who 
know  the  habits  and  character  of  that  people,  will  agree, 
that  leaving  out  the  villages  and  the  professional  men, 
nearly  all  the  rest  of  the  voting  population   are  farmers 
upon  their  own  account,  and  are,  or  wish  to  be,  freehold- 
ers.    Supposing  then  that  the  land  sold,  had  been  equally 
distributed,  the  number  of  tracts  ought  nearly  to  corres- 
pond with  the  number  of  voters.     Yet  the  difference  is 
as  7  to  18  ;   and  when  it  is  added,  that  many  farmers  own 
more  than  one  quarter  section,  that  there  are  men  in  that 
state  who  own  a  great  many  tracts,  and  that  a  good  many 
are  held  by  non-residents,  it  will  be  seen  that  at  the  date 
above  mentioned  less  than   one  third  of  the  voters  were 
freeholders.     Yet  there  is  no  question  of  the  fact,  that 
the  great  majority  of  those  who   were  not  freeholders, 
being  two  thirds  of  this  population,  were  farmers,  residing 
upon,  and  cultivating,  the  land  of  the  United  States,  ready 
and  anxious  to  purchase  if  they  were  able,  and  with  the 
full  intention  of  purchasing  whenever  they  should  become 
so.     These  men  are  not  squatters,  as  they  have  been  ig- 
norantly  termed.     This  opprobrious  epithet  was  applied 


180  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

in  its  origin,  to  persons  who  settled  upon  the  unimproved 
lands  of  individuals,  in  the  older  states,  with  the  intention 
of  acquiring  titles  by  occupancy,  or  of  profiting  by  the 
defects  in  the  legal  titles  of  the  right  owners.  They  took 
possession  of  the  property  of  other  men,  with  the  avowed 
intention  of  holding  it.  The  people  who  settle  on  the 
public  land  in  the  west,  violate  no  right,  and  intend  no 
injury.  A  man  settles  on  a  tract  which  he  wishes  to  buy, 
enhances  its  value  by  his  improvements,  and  should  he 
eventually  not  become  a  purchaser,  leaves  it  in  a  better 
state  than  he  found  it,  for  the  reception  of  another  occu- 
pant ;  and  there  is  no  instance  on  record,  of  any  attempt 
on  the  part  of  such  persons,  to  claim  the  fee  simple,  or 
defraud  the  government.  There  was  a  law  passed,  many 
years  ago,  to  prevent  the  intrusion  upon  public  land,  and 
to  punish  the  destruction  of  timber  ;  but  the  government, 
finding  that  this  kind  of  occupancy  was  beneficial  to  the 
public,  never  enforced  the  law. 

Some  light  may  be  thrown  upon  this  topic,  by  refer- 
ence to  a  common  traffic  in  the  new  states,  known  as  the 
sale  of  improvements.  By  a  tacit  and  long  established 
understanding,  persons  who  settle  on  the  public  land,  ac- 
quire a  sort  of  popular  title  to  occupancy ;  no  one  inter- 
feres with  the  possession  of  another,  nor  can  a  purchaser, 
without  incurring  great  odium,  buy  a  tract,  on  which  an 
individual  may  be  settled.  Such  persons  are  usually  of 
the  migratory  class,  and  often  move  away,  leaving  their 
improvements  to  the  next  comer  ;  but  they  more  frequent- 
ly sell  them,  either  to  those  who  like  themselves  have  no 
title  to  the  land,  or  to  such  as  propose  to  purchase  the 
soil.  They  sell  simply  the  house  and  fences  which  they 
have  put  up,  and  the  popular  right  to  occupy  the  particu- 
lar tract  of  public  land,  which  they  happen  to  have  settled 
upon.  The  fact  that  such  improvements  command  a 
price,  and  the  universality  of  this  practice,  shew  that  the 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  181 

land  is  not  injured,  but  benefitted,  by  the  occupancy  of 
sucli  settlers. 

If  the  fact  be,  that  there  are  communities  in  which  two 
thirds,  being  farmers,  desire  to  become  freeholders,  but 
are  unable  to  purchase  land  at  the  price  demanded  by  the 
proprietary,  ought  not  the  proprietor,  being  the  govern- 
ment, to  reduce  its  price  ?  We  have  thought  that  it  ought ; 
but  several  years  have  passed  since  the  above  data  was 
collected,  and  the  opinion  just  indicated,  formed — the 
circumstances  of  the  country  have  changed — and  we 
should  now  jjive  such  a  decision  with  some  hesitation. 

But  other  facts  are  worthy  of  attention.  Fertile  as  the 
soil  of  the  west  is  in  general,  there  are  extensive  tracts 
which  at  present  are  unsaleable,  or  df  no  value.  These 
are,  immense  prairies,  destitute  of  timber  and  water — 
river  bottoms,  subject  to  inundation — and  sterile  tracts. 
In  the  state  to  which  we  have  just  alluded,  and  some 
others,  there  are  vast  regions  in  which  the  open  prairie  is 
the  predominating  surface.  The  soil  is  generally  fine  ; 
the  water  i.»  found  at  a  short  distance  below  the  surface  ; 
but  timber  is  indispensable  for  fencing,  for  fuel,  and  for 
building,  and  without  it  these   lands  cannot  be   settled. 

©  7 

But  these  prairies,  as  we  have  shown  under  another  head, 
are  annually  decreasing  in  extent.  This  result  is  only 
produced,  however,  in  the  neighborhood  of  thick  settle* 
ments.  Would  it  not  be  wise  to  accelerate  such  a  pro- 
cess by  artificial  means,  and  to  offer  inducements  which 
might  tempt  settlers  to  venture  into  the  open  prairies,  arid 
to  propagate  timber  by  planting?  The  inundated  bot- 
toms are  only  valuable  for  their  timber,  which  is  often 
fine,  but  the  lands  are  rarely  purchased  on  account  of  that 
single  advantage,  as  they  are  generally  distant  from  the 
arable  prairie  lands.  The  soil  is  frequently  excellent, 
and  sometimes  very  choice,  but  it  will  not  sell  until  the 
countrv  shall  become  densely  settled,  and  a  sufficient  sur- 
plus  wealth  shall  exist,  to  enable   the  inhabitant  to  em- 

Q 


182  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

bank  and  reclaim  it.  These  bottoms  are  not  only  value- 
less in  themselves,  but  by  their  unhealthiness  contribute 
to  reduce  the  value  of  the  adjacent  lands.  The  climate 
of  this  region,  the  soil,  the' water,  and  the  conformation 
of  the  country  are  salubrious  ;  the  causes  which  produced 
febrile  and  bilious  diseases  formerly,  are  mostly  removed 
in  all  the  dense  settlements  ;  the  river  bottoms  alone,  and 
the  surrounding  country,  remaining  a  melancholy  excep- 
tion to  the  general  and  rapid  improvement  in  this  particu- 
lar. If  the  government  would  give  away  such  tracts,  to 
any  who  would  reclaim  them,  it  would  gain  in  the  enhanc- 
ed value  of  the  adjacent  lands,  and  the  inhabitants  would 
be  incalculably  benefitted  in  the  removal  of  serious  nuis- 
ances. As  to  the  other  class  of  unsaleable  lands,  the 
sterile — it  is  to  be  remarked,  that  a  large  portion  of  it  is 
poor  only  in  comparison  with  the  fine  lands  of  this  region. 
Things  which  are  offered  for  sale,  are  valued  by  compa- 
rison with  other  things  of  the  same  kind,  and  by  the 
eagerness  of  one  party  to  buy,  and  of  the  other  to  sell. 
Thus  valued,  this  land  is  worth  nothing.  No  man  will 
have  it,  at  the  price  demanded,  when  he  may  have  better 
land  at  the  same  money.  By  comparison  with  other  pro- 
perty of  the  same  kind,  it  sinks  into  utter  nothingness  ; 
it  cannot  acquire  an  adventitious  value  from  the  eagerness 
to  buy  of  a  purchaser  who  has  a  boundless  region  before 
him,  and  it  will  only  be  brought  into  market  by  the  anxi- 
ety of  the  owner,  evinced  in  a  reduction  of  price  so  liberal 
as  to  tempt  the  cupidity  of  the  buyer. 

Another  view  of  this  question  is  not  unworthy  of  con- 
sideration. Referring  again  to  the  state  of  Illinois,  it  will 
be  seen  that  this  state  contains  a  little  over  thirty  live 
million  acres  of  land,  and  that  in  1829  thirty  millions  re- 
mained unsold  in  the  hands  of  the  United  States  ;  the 
balance  of  five  millions  including  the  whole  amount  of 
sales  and  grants,  whether  to  the  state  or  to  individuals. 
The  sales  since  that  time  would  vary  these  proportions, 


i 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  183 

a  littlf*  :  but  the  principles  are  the  same.  The  people  of 
Illinois  own  one  seventh  of  the  whole  quantity,  the  United 
States  the  other  six  sevenths ;  yet  the  people  of  thai  state 
alone  defray  the  expenses  of  their  own  government,  while 
its  benefits  are  enjoyed  by  the  genera]  government,  to  an 

extent,  in   some  degree  proportionate  to  the  size  of   their 
domain.     Every  new  county   thai  is  established,  every 
court  house  that  is  built,  every  road  that  is  opened,  every 
bridge  that  is  erected,  enhances  the  value   of  real   estate  ; 
and  of  the  land  thus  enhanced  in  value,  the  United  Stal 
owns  six  acres,  where  one  is  owned  by  the   stale,  or  by 
the  individuals  who  pay  for  the  making  of  such  improve- 
ments.     Thai   the   general  government  is  daily  receiving 
substantial  benefits,  resulting  from  the  expenditure  of  the 
money  and  labor  of  the  western  people,  is   evident  ;    and 
it  is  worthy  of  inquiry,  whether  it  be  not  bound,  in  justice, 
to  discharge  a  debt  thus   created,  and  what  should  be  the 
extent  and  character  of  the  remuneration.     It  is  said  that 
congress  has  been  harassed  by  appeals  to  its  generosity, 
on  the  part  of  the  western   people.     Is  it   not   probable 
that  those  appeals  have  rather  been  made   to   the  justice 
of  that  body,  and  that   there    has   been  in  met,  an  inter- 
change of  benefits,  which  has  been  mutually  beneficial? 
The  inquiry  lies  within  a   narrow  compass.      In   all   the 
Western  Stales.  (Kentucky  excepted)  the  general  govern- 
ment owns   laud;    to  none  of    those  states   does   it  pay 
taxes.     It  has  its  ample  share  of  all  the  advantages  re- 
6ultiiiLr    from   the  local  governments  :    the  civil  protection 
afforded  by  the  latter,  and  the  public  improvements  Blade 
by  them,  invite   population,  and  by  converting  a  wilder- 
ness into  a  civilized  country, render  those  land-  saleable, 
which  otherwise  would  remain  unproductive*      Does  not 
this  state  of  things  impose  an  obligation  on  the  1   nion,  to 
aid  in  carrying  on  that  process,  by  which,  as  the  Largest 
proprietary,  it  is  the   greatest  gainer!     If  the  western 
people  ask  the  discharge  of  that  obligation  by  a  reduction 


184  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

in  the  price  of  lands — by  donations  for  schools,  or  for  in- 
ternal improvements — or  in  any  other  way,  the  claim  is 
entitled  to  a  respectful  consideration. 

We  do  not  infer  from  this  reasoning  that  Congress  is 
bound  to  comply  with  a  demand,  even  of  a  majority  of 
the  western  people,  to  reduce  the  price  of  land.  She 
acts  as  the  trustee  of  all  concerned.  The  state  in  which 
the  lands  lie  is  one  party,  and  all  the  other  states,  an- 
other ;  the  government,  and  the  purchaser,  have  each  an 
interest.  Yet  these  are  not  conflicting,  but  harmonizing 
interests ;  and  that  policy  which  should  advance  them  all, 
without  leaning1  to  either,  would  alone  be  wise.  It  is  not 
expected  that  the  government  should  drain  the  population 
from  the  old  states,  by  offering  inducements  to  emigration 
to  the  new  ;  nor  would  she  have  the  right  to  retard  the 
settlement  of  the  new  states  by  withholding  the  land  from 
sale,  or  demanding  for  it  an  extravagant  price.  There 
are  various  reasons  why  the  price  of  public  land  should 
be  reduced  to  the  lowest  practical  point.  It  is  good 
policy  to  increase  the  class  of  freeholders,  to  arrest  the 
footsteps  of  the  migratory  poor,  and  settle  them  down 
upon  the  soil  ;  to  elevate  the  character  of  the  citizen,  by 
holding  out  to  him  the  rewards  of  industry ;  to  convert 
hunters  and  labourers  into  farmers  ;  and  to  attach  men 
firmly  to  the  government  under  which  they  live,  by  mak- 
ing them  holders  of  property.  But  these  desirable  re- 
sults would  be  retarded,  not  advanced,  by  reducing  the 
price  of  land  too  low,  and  by  putting  it  at  such  a  price  as 
might  induce  capitalists  to  invest  large  sums  in  this  spe- 
cies of  property,  thereby  converting  extensive  tracts  into 
private  estates,  to  be  withheld  from  sale,  and  from  being 
inhabited,  and  to  remain  in  unproductive  wilderness,  for 
long  and  indefinite  periods.  Again,  these  sales  are  to  be 
conducted  with  impartiality ;  the  interests  of  one  state  are 
not  to  be  promoted  in  preference  to  those  of  another,  nor 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  185 

is  anv  state  to  derive  exclusive  advantages  from  the  gov 
ernmental  action  over  its  property. 

It  should  be  recollected  also,  that  the  government,  br- 
ing the  largest  holder  of  land,  in  this  wide  region  holds 
in  her  hands  the  power  of  regulating  to  some  extent  the 
price  of  real  estate.     Her  interest  amounts,  in  the  newest 
states,  to  nearly  nine   tenths  of  the  whole — in  the   elder 
of  the  western  states,  it  is  still  great — in  the  aggregate  it 
is  vastly   greater  than  that  of  individuals.     A  large   and 
industrious  population  of  farmers  have  become  owners 
of  land  here,  by  purchase  from  the  government.     They 
have  been  the  pioneers,  and  have  endured  hardships  which 
do  not  now  beset  the  path  of  the  settler.     Those  who 
came  first  gave  two  dollars,  others  have  given  one  dollar 
and  a  quarter,  for  their  land ;  and  if  they,  in  the  face  of 
the  difficulties  which  then  surrounded  the  emigrant,  when 
there  was  no  market,  and  no  money,  could  afford  to  give 
these  prices  for  land,  their  successors  can  still  better  afford 
them  now,  when  money  is  abundant,   trade  active,  and 
the  country  improved.     And  the  questions  may  be  fairly 
put,  whether  Congress  could  justly  depreciate  the  value 
of  the  lands  which  she   has  sold,  by  now  reducing  the 
price  of  the  adjacent  land — and  whether  she  is  not  bound 
to  protect  the  interests  of  those  to  whom  she  has  sold,  as 
much  as  to  conciliate  the  favor  of  new  customers  ?    It  will 
be  seen  also,  that  however  plausible  the  argument  in  favor 
of  the  reduction  of  price  might  have  been  a  few  years 
ago,  the  considerations  which  are  to  be  thrown  into  the 
opposite  scale  have  been,  and  are  still,  daily  and  hourly 
increasing  :  the  danger  from  Indian  hostilities  has  been 
removed — the  hardships  of  settlers  have  been  decreased — 
the  whole  country  has  been  made  accessible  by  roads  and 
steam  navigation — improvements  have   spread  widely — 
manufactories  have  been  established  and  markets  opened — 
land  is  actually  worth  more  than  at  any  former  period — 
and  the  immense  increase  of  freeholders  has  created  a 

Q2 


186  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

numerous  and  rapidly  growing-  class  of  citizens  whose 
interests  are  directly  opposed  to  any  measure  which  would 
depreciate  the  value  of  real  estate. 

Petitions  have  often  and  earnestly  been  pressed  upon 
Congress,  to  grant  the  right  of  pre-emption  to  actual  set- 
tlers, and  such  laws,  limited  usually  in  their  duration, 
and  sometimes  confined  to  particular  classes  of  claimants, 
or  sections  of  country,  have  been  passed.  As  a  general 
rule  they  have  been  uncalled  for  by  any  principle  of  jus- 
tice, and  liable  to  great  abuse.  In  a  few  instances,  where 
persons  have  settled  in  a  district  of  country  before  the 
land  was  brought  into  market,  it  was  proper,  on  the  open- 
ing of  the  land  office,  to  give  them  the  pre-emption  right ; 
but  in  a  large  majority  of  cases,  such  laws  have  been 
unjust  towards  the  bona  fide  holders  of  land,  and  inju- 
rious to  the  government,  while  they  have  been  productive 
of  a  vast  deal  of  dishonest  speculation.  The  class  who 
are  ostensibly  to  be  benefitted  have  seldom  any  claim  to 
the  indulgence  extended  to  them,  and  as  seldom  avail 
themselves  of  its  privileges.  The  idea  of  protecting  the 
actual  settler  carries  an  air  of  popularity  about  it,  which 
renders  it  wonderfully  efficient  in  the  hands  of  the  men 
who  love  the  people,  and  who  propose  measures  of 
this  kind  merely  for  effect.  For  one  farmer  who  avails 
himself  of  a  pre-emption  right  to  secure  for  his  own  use, 
the  land  which  he  occupies,  there  are  ten  occupants  who 
never  intended  to  purchase,  and  who  sell  to  a  speculator 
that  which  was  improperly  given  to  them. 

On  the  whole,  it  seems  doubtful  whether  any  improve- 
ment can  be  made  in  the  present  plan  of  selling  the  public 
lands.  The  system  is  simple,  and  equitable  ;  and  vast  as 
tbe  concerns  of  this  department  are,  they  are  now  managed 
with  admirable  fidelity  and  correctness.  So  long  as  the 
United  States  shall  continue  to  occupy  the  existing  pro- 
prietary relation  towards  the  western  country,  there  will 
probably  be  but  little  change  in  this  part  of  her  policy. 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  187 

But  it  has  been  suggested  that  the  government  ought  to 
divest  herself  of  the  character  which  she  now  sustains  in 
relation  to  the  public  domain.  In  a  report  from  the  treasu- 
ry department  made  at  the  opening  of  the  first  session  of 
the  twenty  second  congress,  we  find  the  following  remarks  : 

"  The  sources  from  which  the  revenue  has  hitherto 
been  derived,  are  the  imports,  public  lands,  and  bank 
dividends.  With  the  sale  of  the  bank  stock,  the  latter 
will  cease,  and,  as  the  imports,  according  to  any  scale  of 
duties  which  it  will  be  expedient,  and  practicable  to  adopt, 
will  be  amply  sufficient  to  meet  all  the  expenditure,  that 
portion  of  the  revenue  heretofore  drawn  from  the  sale  of 
the  public  lands  may  be  dispensed  with,  should  congress 
see  fit  to  do  so. 

"  On  this  point,  the  undersigned  deems  it  proper  to 
observe  that  the  creation  of  numerous  states  throughout 
the  western  country,  now  forming  a  most  important  part 
of  the  Union ;  and  the  relative  powers  claimed  and  exer- 
cised by  congress  and  the  respective  states  over  the  pub- 
lic lands,  have  been  gradually  accumulating  causes  of  in- 
quietude and  difficulty,  if  not  of  complaint.  It  may  well 
deserve  consideration,  therefore,  whether  at  a  period  de- 
manding the  amicable  and  permanent  adjustment  of  the 
various  subjects  which  now  agitate  the  public  mind,  these 
may  not  be  advantageously  disposed  of,  in  common  with 
the  others,  and  upon  principles  just  and  satisfactory  to  all 
parts  of  the  Union. 

11  It  must  be  admitted  that  the  public  lands  were  ceded 
by  the  states,  or  subsequently  acquired  by  the  United 
States,  for  the  common  benefit ;  and  that  each  state  has 
an  interest  in  their  proceeds,  of  which  it  cannot  be  justly 
deprived.  Over  this  part  of  the  public  property,  the 
powers  of  the  general  government  have  been  uniformly 
supposed  to  have  a  peculiarly  extensive  scope,  and  have 
been  construed  to  authorize  their  application  to  purposes 
of  education  and  improvement  to  which   other  branches 


188  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

of  revenue  were  not  deemed  applicable.  It  is  not  practi- 
cable to  keep  the  public  lands  out  of  the  market ;  and  the 
present  mode  of  disposing  of  them  is  not  the  most  profit- 
able, either  to  the  general  government  or  to  the  states, 
and  must  be  expected,  when  the  proceeds  shall  be  no 
longer  required  for  the  public  debt,  to  give  rise  to  new 
and  more  serious  objections. 

"  Under  these  circumstances,  it  is  submitted  to  the  wis- 
dom of  congress  to  decide  upon  the  propriety  of  disposing 
of  all  the  public  lands,  in  the  aggregate,  to  those  states 
within  whose  territorial  limits  they  lie,  at  a  fair  price,  to 
be  settled  in  such  manner  as  might  be  satisfactory  to  all. 
The  aggregate  price  of  the  whole  may  then  be  apportion- 
ed among  the  several  states  of  the  Union,  according  to 
such  equitable  ratio  as  may  be  consistent  with  the  objects 
of  the  original  cession,  and  the  proportion  of  each  may 
be  paid  or  secured  directly  to  the  others  by  the  respective 
states  purchasing  the  land.  All  cause  of  difficulty  with 
the  general  government  on  this  subject  would  then  be  re- 
moved ;  and  no  doubt  can  be  entertained,  that  by  means 
of  stock  issued  by  the  buying  states,  bearing  a  moderate 
interest,  and  which,  in  consequence  of  the  reimbursement 
of  the  public  debt,  would  acquire  a  great  value,  thev 
would  be  able  at  once  to  pay  the  amount  upon  advantage- 
ous terms.  It  may  not  be  unreasonable  also  to  expect 
that  the  obligation  to  pay  the  annual  interest  upon  the 
stock  thus  created,  would  diminish  the  motive  for  selling 
the  lands  at  prices  calculated  to  impair  the  general  value 
of  that  kind  of  property. 

"  It  is  believed,  moreover,  that  the  interests  of  the  sev 
eral  states  would  be  better  promoted  by  such  a  disposition 
of  the  public  domain,  than  by  sales  in  the  mode  hitherto 
adopted,  and  it  would  at  once  place  at  the  disposal  of  all 
the  states  of  the  Union,  upon  fair  terms,  a  fund  for  pur- 
poses of  education  and  improvement,  of  inestimable  bene- 
fit to  the  future  prosperity  of  the  nation. 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  189 

"  Should  congTess  deem  it  proper  to  dispense  with  the 
public  lands  as  a  future  source  of  revenue,  the  amount  to 
be  raised  from  imports,  after  the  3d  of  March  1833,  ac- 
cording to  the  foregoing  estimate,  will  be  $15,000,000; 
but,  with  a  reliance  upon  the  public  lands,  as  heretofore, 
it  may  be  estimated  at  12,000,000  dollars,  to  which,  as 
the  case  may  be,  it  will  be  necessary  to  adapt  the  pro 
vision  for  the  future. 

"  Whatever  room  there  may  be  for  diversity  of  opinion 
with  respect  to  the  expediency  of  distributing  among  the 
several  states  any  surplus  revenue  that  may  casually  ac- 
crue, it  is  not  doubted  that  any  scheme  for  the  encourag 
ing  a  surplus  for  distribution,  or  for  any  purpose  which 
should  make  it  necessary,  will  be  regularly  discounte- 
nanced. There  is  too  much  reason  to  apprehend  that  a 
regular,  uniform  dependence  of  the  state  governments 
upon  the  revenue  of  the  general  government,  or  an  uni- 
form expectation  from  the  same  source,  would  create  too 
great  an  incentive  to  high  and  unequal  duties,  and  not 
merely  disturb  the  harmony  of  the  union,  but  ultimately 
undermine  and  subvert  the  purity  and  independence  of  the 
state  sovereignties." 

We  shall  briefly  examine  these  suggestions. 

The  policy  of  the  government  in  relation  to  the  public 
lands  has  a  twofold  object:  1st,  The  reimbursement  to  the 
national  treasury,  of  the  funds  expended  in  the  purchase 
of  those  lands,  and  the  payment  of  the  national  debt,  for 
which  they  were  pledged  ;  and  2nd,  an  impartial  distri- 
bution of  the  lands  among  the  settlers  of  the  region  in 
which  they  lie. 

It  is  now,  we  believe,  a  conceded  point,  that  the  equit- 
able, as  well  as  the  legal  and  actual  title  to  the  public  do- 
main, is  in  the  general  government.  The  whole  of  it  lias 
been  acquired  with  the  means  of  the  nation.  Her  treasure, 
her  diplomacy,  and  her  military  force,  have  been  used  in 
the  purchase,  and  in  the  protection  of  this  noble  property. 


190  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

Any  attempt  to  divest  the  Federal  Union  of  her  interest 
in  it,  until  the  debt  created  by  its  acquisition  be  wholly 
discharged,  would  be  clearly  inequitable ;  and  this  too, 
we  assume  to  be  a  point  conceded,  or  too  obvious  to  ad- 
mit of  cavil.  But  is  this  all ;  and  are  we  certain  that  the 
precise  nature  and  amount  of  the  expenditure  alluded  to 
are  understood  ?  The  mere  purchase  money  is  one  thing  ; 
but  has  any  calculation  been  made,  for  the  purpose  of  as- 
certaining what  proportion  this  bears  to  the  multifarious 
contingencies  which  have  arisen  out  of  the  acquisition  ? 
The  pay  of  the  functionaries  engaged  in  negotiations,  and 
of  the  additional  troops  required  by  this  extension  of  ter- 
ritory ;  the  cost  of  surveying  and  sale  ;  the  annual  ex- 
pense of  legislation,  and  of  the  general  land  office ;  the 
interest  upon  these  expenditures  ;  and  a  variety  of  other 
items,  which,  under  the  pen  of  a  close  calculator,  would 
swell  to  an  astonishing  amount,  would  all  be  legitimate 
charges  upon  these  lands.  Nor  can  there  be  any  doubt, 
that  the  liberal  donations  for  public  purposes,  within  the 
territory  in  which  they  lie — for  roads,  canals,  schools, 
&c,  would  also  be  fairly  chargeable  to  this  fund,  in  all 
cases  except  where  equivalents  have  been  paid  by  the  in- 
dividual states  for  such  grants.  It  should  also  be  recol- 
lected, in  estimating  the  amount  of  the  purchase  money, 
that  at  every  treaty  held  with  the  Indians,  for  the  extin- 
guishment of  their  titles  to  their  hunting  grounds,  there 
has  been  given  to  them,  besides  the  specified  price  of 
the  land,  an  amount  greater  or  less,  in  presents  ;  and  that 
in  many  cases,  the  purchase  money  has  been  stipulated 
to  be  paid  in  annuities,  some  of  which  are  to  be  perpetual. 
Supposing  then  that  all  the  actual  disbursements,  hereto- 
fore made  from  the  public  purse  on  this  account,  be  ac- 
curately ascertained,  by  what  rule  of  arithmetic  shall  we 
arrive  at  any  correct  estimate  of  the  amount  which  will 
be  required,  to  pay  annuities  for  twenty  years,  for  thirty 
years,  for  so  long  as  a  given  tribe  shall  remain  a  distinct 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN*.  101 

nation,  and  during  the  lives  of  numerous  individuals  who 
are  pensioners  upon  this  fond  I 

But  again.      Is  it  a  settled  point  that  the  interest  of  the 
nation  in  this  property,  ought  to  be  extinguished,  as  soon 

-he  is  reimbursed  ?  We  apprehend  not.  Admit  that  an 
account  which  the  United  States  may  have  opened  against 
these  lands,  and  in  which  she  has  charged  them  with 
every  expenditure  made  in  reference  to  them,  direct  or 
consequential,  has  been  balanced  by  the  receipts  from  the 
land  offices,  can  a  good  reason  be  offered,  why  they 
should  not  be  continued  to  be  held  by  the  government  as 
a  source  of  revenue  ?  No  one  would  contend  that  an  in- 
dividual, having  derived  from  an  estate  a  profit  equal  to 
its  cost,  would  be  bound  by  any  rule  of  propriety,  to  con- 
vey it  back  to  his  grantor,  or  throw  it  into  the  common 
stock.  With  as  little  justice  can  the  United  States  be 
called  upon  by  the  individual  states,  or  either  of  them,  to 
make  a  similar  surrender.  The  very  idea  of  property, 
excludes  such  a  conclusion  ;  for  it  not  only  includes  pres- 
ent possession  and  use,  but  all  ulterior  and  accidental  ad- 
vantages which  may,  by  any  possibility,  accrue  to  the 
owner.  If  the  United  States  has  a  clear  and  perfect  title 
to  this  land,  it  is  a  gratuitous  assumption  for  any  other 
party  than  herself,  to  prescribe  a  limit  to  the  tenure  which 
is  in  its  own  nature  indefinite. 

We  learn  from  the  treasury  report,  that  there  are  now 
but  three  sources  of  revenue  to  be  relied  upon  for  the 
support  of  our  government,  viz  :  imports,  public  lands, 
and  bank  dividends.  It  is  proposed  to  sell  the  bank  stock 
and  apply  the  proceeds  to  the  payment  of  the  public  debt, 
to  dispose  of  the  lands  to  the  several  states  in  which  they 
lie,  and  to  rely  solely  on  the  duties  upon  imports.  As  to 
the  prudence  of  depending  upon  a  single  source  of  reve- 
nue which  may  be  deteriorated  by  unforeseen  causes,  we 
shall  not  venture  an  opinion ;  but  we  apprehend  that  this 
policy  cannot  be  adopted  without  begging  a  question,  or 


192  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

mother  words  assuming  the  correctness  of  doctrines  which 
are  hostile  to  the  opinions  of  a  large  portion  of  the  nation 
At  a  time  when  a  tariff  is  odious  to  the  whole  population 
of  some  states,  and  to  entire  classes  of  citizens  in  others, 
would  it  be  safe,  would  it  be  consistent  with  that  principle 
of  reciprocity,  that  spirit  of  compromise,  that  patriotism, 
to  say  all  in  one  word,  which  ought  to  regulate  the  econo- 
my of  a  great  nation,  to  abandon  all  other  sources  of  reve- 
nue, and  depend  upon  the  single  one  which  has  excited 
more  dissention  than  all  the  others  put  together  ?  If  it 
be  replied  that  no  objection  is  made  to  a  tariff  which  is 
resorted  to  as  a  financial  resource,  and  that  the  propriety 
(or  right)  of  laying  duties  on  imports,  is  only  questioned 
when  they  are  attempted  to  be  used  to  support  manufac- 
tures, or  to  encourage  sectional  industry,  we  ask,  is  there 
no  danger,  that  when  duties  on  imports  should  become  the 
sole  dependence  of  the  treasury,  they  would  have  to  re- 
main as  high  as  they  now  are ;  that  the  identical  duties 
now  objected  to  would  be  retained  ;  and  the  cause  of  com- 
plaint remain  the  same,  under  a  change  of  name  ?  There 
may  have  been  conclusive  reasons  in  favor  of  the  creation 
of  the  existing  system  of  duties,  but  would  those  reasons 
reach  forward,  and  justify  its  adoption  as  a  permanent 
feature  in  the  policy  of  the  government  ?  And  shall  we 
put  it  out  of  our  power  to  reduce  or  discard  those  duties, 
when  the  necessity  which  induced  their  adoption  shall 
have  ceased  ? 

Another  consideration  strikes  us  as  worthy  of  notice. 
Revenue  should  be  raised  in  such  a  manner  as  to  bear 
equally  upon  all  classes  of  society  ;  none  should  be  ex- 
empted from  the  burthen,  nor  any  oppressed  by  its  weight. 
The  perfection  of  a  system  of  finances,  would  be  found 
in  the  exact  operation  of  this  principle,  reaching  to  every 
individual  in  society,  and  extending  to  each  his  equitable 
portion  of  the  public  burthen  ;  but  as  perfection  cannot  be 
expected  to  be  attained  in  transactions  so  gigantic  and 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  193 

complicated,  the  nearest  approach  to  it,  becomes  die  most 
rational  substitute  ;  and  this  will  be  found  in  adopting  the 
principle  to  which  we  have  alluded  as  far  as  practicable. 
Now  it  seems  very  i  tear,  that  by  multiplying  the  sources 
of  revenue,  we  should  increase  the  chances  of  making  it 
l>ear  upon  all  classes  of  society,  and  on  the  other  hand, 
by  diminishing  their  number,  we  shall  multiply  chances 
that  some  would  be  oppressed.  Especially  does  it  appear 
to  us,  at  least  probable^  that  if  a  single  source  of  revenue 
be  depended  upon,  the  burthen  will  he  unequally  borne, 
and  that  some  classes  will  occasionally,  and  some  perhaps 
always,  be  exorbitantly  taxed,  in  comparison  with  others. 
These  considerations  are  not  conclusive,  but  are  thrown 
out  as  rational  doubts.  If  it  can  be  shewn  that  duties 
on  imports  can  he  extended  to  so  great  a  variety  of  arti- 
cles, that  all  our  citizens,  shall  by  these  means,  be  equal- 
ly taxed,  and  the  industry  of  none  be  vexatiously  bur- 
thened,  or  if  these  desirable  results  can  be  produced  to  a 
reasonable  extent,  then  our  objection  will  have  been  an- 
swered. 

We  may  mention  in  this  connexion,  a  proposition  to 
divide  the  annual  nett  proceeds  of  the  public  lands,  among 
the  several  states,  in  the  ratio  of  their  representation,  to 
be  expended  for  the  purposes  of  internal  improvement  and 
education.  If  it  be  determined  that  these  proceeds  are 
not  to  be  appropriated  to  the  ordinary  purposes  of  revenue, 
but  must  have  a  specific  application,  it  is  still  not  clear, 
that  such  a  distribution  would  be  judicious  or  even  just. 
If  the  distinction  between  federal  interests  and  state  in- 
terests is  to  be  persisted  in,  and  the  line  between  state  and 
federal  rights  broadly  and  strongly  marked,  the  question 
arises,  upon  what  ground  this  can  be  claimed  as  a  state 
fund  ?  It  lias  not  been  created  by  the  action  of  the  state 
governments,  nor  earned  by  the  prowess,  the  talents,  or 
the  labor  of  citizens  of  states,  acting  as  such.  The  claims 
of  individual  states,  as  far  as  any  existed,  have  all  been 

R 


194  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

ceded  to  the  Union ;  and  the  subsequent  purchase,  with 
all  its  incidental  expenses,  was  made  with  the  national 
treasure.  That  Congress  has  a  clear  right  to  divide  the 
surplus  revenue  of  the  Union  among  the  states,  is  not  de- 
nied ;  but  the  propriety  of  thus  parceling  this  fund,  in 
preference  to  any  other  does  not  seem  obvious.  We 
should  place  it  exactly  on  the  same  footing  with  the  reve- 
nue from  any  other  sources.  Should  there  then  be  a  sur- 
plus of  the  aggregate  annual  receipts,  and  its  distribution 
be  urged  as  a  concession  to  the  opinions  of  those  who 
deny  the  right  of  the  general  government  to  expend  money 
for  objects  of  national  improvement,  we  should  not  de- 
mur, because  we  would  yield  much — almost  any  thing — 
to  a  liberal  spirit  of  compromise.  But  we  should  yield  it 
only  as  a  concession.  We  doubt  the  justice  of  dividing 
a  fund  disposable  for  general  purposes,  according  to  popu- 
lation. A  national  fund  should  be  expended  where  it  is 
most  wanted,  and  where  it  would  be  most  extensively 
useful.  The  most  populous  state  might  not  require  the 
largest  expenditure  ;  and  the  least  populous  might  stand 
in  the  greatest  need  of  assistance.  A  sum  expended  in 
one  state  in  making  a  road,  is  not  necessarily  chargeable 
to  that  state  as  if  for  its  exclusive  benefit,  because  the  ad- 
vantage may  be  equally  great  to  adjacent  states.  An  im- 
mense sum  of  money  was  laid  out  in  the  states  of  Mary- 
land, Virginia,  and  Pennsylvania,  in  making  a  road  from 
Cumberland  to  Wheeling,  which  is  less  beneficial  to  the 
two  last  named  states,  than  to  those  lying  west  of  them. 
The  correct  principle  seems  to  be,  not  that  the  expendi- 
tures should  be  made  within  certain  limits,  but  that  the 
benefits  should  be  fairly  distributed.  This  would  be  best 
effected  by  the  concentrated  action  of  one  government. 
Still,  on  this  point  we  should  not  be  strenuous.  We 
should  deprecate  the  division  into  twenty-four  parts,  of  a 
sum,  which  at  all  events  will  be  small,  in  comparison  to 
the  objects  to  be  effected,  and  which  by  this  process  would 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  195 

become  comparatively  inefficient.  But  it  is  better  to 
forego  such  advantages,  than  to  gain  them  by  violence  to 
the  feelings  of  a  respectable  minority. 

Another  very  important  consideration  is  involved  in 
this  question.  One  of  the  greatest  advantages  secured  to 
the  people  of  the  United  States  by  the  proprietary  action 
of  the  government  over  these  lands,  has  been  the  equita- 
ble mode  of  their  alienation  to  individuals.  This  is  a 
matter  which  comes  home  to  men's  business  and  bosoms. 
There  is  no  power  exercised  by  the  government,  which 
is  regarded  with  such  jealousy,  or  should  be  exerted  with 
so  much  circumspection,  as  that  which  reaches  to  the  fire- 
side of  the  citizen — that  which  affects  his  home,  and  the 
maintenance  of  his  family.  Every  thing  else  may  be  en- 
dured, if  there  be  security,  comfort,  and  abundance  in  our 
dwellings.  Whatever  other  privilege  we  may  resign,  we 
will  not  suffer  that  of  pursuing  happiness,  to  be  ever 
jeoparded. 

The  right  to  emigrate,  is  not  only  a  natural,  but  a  char- 
tered right.  Our  citizens  are  secured  in  the  privilege  of 
removing  from  one  state  to  another,  as  well  as  in  the  ex- 
ercise of  all  rights  in  the  state  of  their  adoption,  which 
they  enjoyed  in  that  of  their  recent  citizenship.  It  is  our 
policy  to  be  one  people  ;  to  throw  wide  open  all  the  ave- 
nues of  internal  intercourse  and  trade  ;  to  leave  private 
enterprise  unshackled,  and  industry  free  to  exert  its  ener- 
gies, wherever  they  may  be  most  usefully  employed. 
We  are  an  active  and  a  migratory  people,  accustomed  to 
independence,  impatient  of  restraint,  and  unwilling  to 
endure  any  discomforts,  which  may  be  removed  by  exer- 
tion, or  escaped  by  a  change  of  residence.  We  have  no 
entailed  rights  to  bind  us  to  the  spot  of  our  nativity,  and 
but  slender  hereditary  attachments  ;  and  we  not  only 
hiffhly  value,  but  will  maintain  at  every  hazard,  the  privi- 
lege of  seeking  subsistence  and  happiness,  wherever  we 
please  to  think  they  may  be  found.     We  do  not  recognise 


196  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

the  moral  right  existing  in  any  body  of  men,  to  monopo- 
lise the  soil  which  was  given  to  us  and  our  children  by  a 
bountiful  Providence,  to  stay  the  footsteps  of  industry  and 
the  arts,  or  to  shackle  the  advancement  of  letters,  civili- 
zation, and  Christianity.  If  we  can  ever  justify  our 
banishment  of  the  Indian  from  his  hunting  grounds,  it 
must  be  upon  this  principle  ;  he  was  a  monopolist,  oc- 
cupying more  than  he  could  use  consistently  with  the 
good  of  mankind ;  he  was  a  barbarian,  hostile  to  the 
social,  the  useful,  and  the  elegant  arts  of  civil  life.  It  is  a 
legitimate  exercise  of  governmental  care,  to  respect  such 
feelings,  and  cherish  such  rights  ;  and  if  by  design  or  ac- 
cident, the  government  has  possessed  itself  of  the  means 
of  gratifying  a  national  propensity,  and  of  dispensing  the 
blessings  of  a  great  national  source  of  prosperity,  it 
should  pause,  and  reflect  maturely,  before  it  resigns  a 
power  so  benign,  and  so  extensive. 

The  settlement  of  the  western  lands,  is  a  matter  of  na- 
tional concernment ;  one  in  which  all  the  states  are  inter- 
ested in  a  greater  or  less  degree.  To  one  they  afford 
homes  for  her  industrious  poor,  or  enterprising  youth,  to 
another  an  outlet  for  her  manufactures,  to  a  third  a  mar- 
ket for  her  commercial  imports  ;  while  all  are  obliged  to 
view  them  as  the  future  birth  place  of  the  millions  of 
freemen,  who  will  soon  constitute  the  majority  of  the  na- 
tion. We  cannot  shut  our  eves  to  the  truth,  that  in  the 
proportion  in  which  industry,  moral  habits,  intellectual 
cultivation,  and  sound  national  principles,  shall  be  planted 
and  cherished  in  this  region,  will  be  the  predominance  of 
those  virtues  in  the  future  guidance  of  our  national  coun- 
cils. The  history  of  other  nations  affords  no  parallel  to 
that  anomalous  and  magnificent  process  which  is  now 
going  forward  in  our  country.  The  nation  is  silently  but 
rapidly  building  up  its  own  future  seat  of  empire.  The 
howling  wilderness,  which  our  immediate  ancestors  view- 
ed with  carelessness,  and  partially  explored,  with  extreme 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  1  I'? 

difficulty  and  danger,  is  last  becoming  the  centre  of  power, 
the  seat  of  wealth,  the  theatre  upon  which  the  nation  in 
its  matured  vigor  will  exhibit  its  concentrated  enerLri<  -. 
The  nation,  as  such,  has  a  stake  in  the  growth  of  this 
country,  which  she  cannot  value  lightly. 

In  her  proprietary  character,  the  government  has  been 
enabled  to  establish  the  boundaries  of  newly  organised 
territories,  so  as  to  give  to  each  future  state  its  just  limits. 
The  country  has  been  surveyed,  divided,  and  prepared 
for  sale,  under  a  wise  and  uniform  system.  The  sales 
have  been  conducted  with  order,  impartiality,  and  publici- 
ty. The  dweller  in  Maine  or  in  Georgia,  may  by  refer- 
ence to  public  documents,  know  the  contents  and  price 
of  each  tract  of  land  in  the  west,  and  the  time  and  place 
of  sale,  with  as  much  certainty  as  an  inhabitant  of  the 
vicinity.  The  price  of  land  is  invariable.  These  are 
advantages  which  should  have  great  weight  in  the  public 
mind.  If  the  citizens  of  the  Atlantic  states  appreciate  the 
privilege  of  emigration  to  the  westward,  and  the  advan- 
tage of  a  fair  competition  in  the  market  of  new  lands  :  and 
if  the  people  of  the  western  states  place  a  just  value  upon 
the  security  of  their  titles  to  real  estate,  upon  the  harmony 
which  now  prevails  in  its  distribution,  and  upon  the  regu- 
lar flow  of  that  full  and  fertilizing  tide  of  population,  which 
is  now  pouring  in  upon  them — they  would  pause,  each 
of  them  would  pause,  before  they  would  submit  to  Un- 
hazardous experiment  of  a  change  of  policy,  which  miirht 
give  us  confusion  in  the  place  of  order,  and  entail  upon 
us  the  reverse  of  all  that  we  value,  instead  of  what  we 
enjoy. 

But  we  are  told  that  the  relative  powers  claimed  and 
exercised  by  congress,  and  the  respective  states,  over  the 
public  lands,  have  been  gradually  accumulating  muses  of 
inquietude  and  difficulty,  if  not  of  complaint.  This  is  in 
part  true  ;  but  before  we  assent  to  the  necessity  of  apply- 
ing any  of  the  proposed   remedies,  l»t   us  examine  the 

r2 


198  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

extent  of  the  grievances  complained  of,  and  inquire 
whether  they  be  real  or  supposititious.  Have  the  people 
of  the  western  country  any  just  ground  of  complaint  ? 
Are  they  really  dissatisfied?  Fifty  years  ago,  the  United 
States  had  not  a  single  settlement  west  of  the  Ohio  river, 
if  we  except  a  handful  of  inhabitants  at  the  French  villa- 
ges ;  and  in  1793  the  army  of  General  Wayne  marched 
through  Ohio,  then  a  wilderness.  So  lately  as  1812,  the 
inhabitants  of  Illinois  and  Indiana  were  so  few  in  number, 
that  they  protected  themselves  with  difficulty  against  the 
Indians.  Tecumseh  with  a  little  band,  of  a  few  hundred 
warriors,  kept  the  whole  frontier  in  terror.  At  this  time 
the  state  of  Ohio  alone  contains  over  1,000,000  of  inhabit- 
ants ;  and  the  aggregate  population  of  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,  and  Missouri,  is  more  than  two  millions.  If  to 
these  we  add  the  states  of  Alabama,  Louisiana,  and  Mis- 
sissippi, in  which  the  lands  are  similarly  situated,  and 
which  have  been  chiefly  settled  within  the  same  period, 
we  have  a  population  of  three  millions,  without  including 
the  territories  of  Michigan  and  Arkansas,  which  contain 
a  hundred  thousand  more.  In  fifty  years  a  region,  con- 
taining more  than  half  a  million  of  square  miles,  has  been 
reclaimed  from  the  dominion  of  the  savage  ;  seven  states 
have  grown  up  and  been  admitted  into  the  Union,  and 
two  others  are  ripe  for  admission ;  a  population  of  three 
millions  has  been  accumulated,  consisting  chiefly  of  the 
agricultural  class,  a  large  portion  of  whom  possess  free- 
holds, and  all  of  whom  are  blessed  with  a  greater  degree 
of  plenty,  and  burthened  with  fewer  cares,  than  any  other 
similar  number  of  civilized  people.  Fifty  years  ago,  the 
canoe  and  the  pirogue  were  the  only  bonts  on  all  the  no- 
ble rivers  of  the  west,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  barges  ; 
since  then,  seven  hundred  steam  boats  have  been  built  in 
this  region,  with  its  native  timber  and  materials,  and  em- 
ployed upon  its  waters.  In  1826  the  amount  of  capital 
invested   in  steam  boats,   by  the  citizens  of  Cincinnati 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  199 

alone,  was  upwards  of  500,000  dollars,  the  imports  of  that 
city  were  more  than  2,000,000  of  dollars,  and  the  exports 
1,000,000.  In  the  same  region  there  are  more  than  a 
dozen  reputable  colleges,  together  with  respectable  medi- 
cal, theological,  and  law  schools.  Books  are  published 
to  a  considerable  extent.  In  Cincinnati  alone,  very  many 
volumes  a  day,  issue  from  the  press.  These,  with  a 
thousand  other  facts  which  might  be  added,  are  surely  not 
the  indications  of  an  oppressed  people,  or  of  a  country 
crippled  in  its  resources,  or  checked  in  its  advance  to 
greatness. 

The  public  improvements  that  have  been  scattered  over 
this  valley,  by  the  munificence  of  the  government,  how- 
ever scanty  they  may  seem  to  a  sanguine  and  enterprising 
people,  ardent  in  their  views,  ambitious  in  their  public 
spirit,  and  impatient  of  delay  in  their  rapid  march  to 
power,  have  been  worthy  of  a  great  nation.     The  Cum- 
berland road  alone,  is  a  monument  of  national  beneficence. 
Designed  to  stretch  through  an  extent  of  eight  hundred 
miles ;  meandering  for  sixty  miles  among  the  cliffs  and 
precipices  of  almost  inaccessible  mountains  ;  intersecting 
the  noblest  rivers  of  the  west,  and  crossing  her  fertile  and 
extensive  plains  ;  studded  in  its  whole  length  with  elegant 
and  durable  bridges — such  a  work  speaks  more  in  favor 
of  the  advantages  of  the  connection  between  the  western 
people  and  the  government,  than  volumes  of  abstract  rea- 
soning.    And  this   is  but  a  part  of  what  has  been  done. 
The  shores  of  the  northern  lakes  have  been  surveyed, 
and  their  facilities  for  commerce  ascertained ;  immense 
sums  have  been  laid  out  in  improving  the  harbors  of  the 
lakes  and  the  navigation  of  the  large  rivers  ;  extensive 
grants  of  land  have  been  made  to  aid  in  the  construction 
of  roads  and  canals  ;  in   short,  millions  of  money  have 
been  in  various  ways   appropriated  to  advance   the  best 
interests  of  this  region.     That  these  appropriations  have 
fallen  far  short  of  our  just  proportion  of  the  public  tn    ■- 


200  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

ure,  and  have  been  inadequate  when  compared  with  the 
sums  expended  on  the  sea  coast,  must  be  admitted  ;  but 
they  have  greatly  exceeded  any  expenditure  which  could 
have  been  reasonably  expected,  under  the  action  of  the 
several  states,  had  they  possessed  the  land. 

Of  what  then  do  the  western  people  complain  ?  Are 
they  taxed  by  the  government  1  No.  Are  any  preclud- 
ed from  voting,  or  ineligible  to  office  ?  None.  Do  any 
starve,  are  any  houseless,  or  naked,  or  in  prison  for  debt? 
These  are  unknown  evils.  Are  standing  armies  quartered 
among  the  people,  or  do  the  myrmidons  of  government 
eat  out  their  substance  ?  Nothing  of  all  this.  Do  seed 
time  and  harvest  fail  ?  Does  not  the  labor  of  the  husband- 
man yield  an  abundant  reward  ?  Are  his  hard  earnings 
riven  from  him  by  fraud  or  violence  ?  Do  the  oppressors 
grind  the  poor  ?  Are  not  life  and  property  secure  ?  Is 
there  any  to  molest  or  make  afraid,  the  man  who  sits 
under  his  own  vine  ?  We  need  not  pause  for  a  reply  : 
the  face  of  nature,  the  condition  of  society,  and  the  happy 
estate  of  man  in  this  favored  region,  teeming  with  abun- 
dance, peace,  and  cheerfulness,  all  testify  against  the  ex- 
istence of  any  widespread  individual  distress,  or  civil 
misrule. 

But  complaints  have  been  made  ;  they  are  matters  of 
record,  and  their  nature  being  distinctly  known,  they  may 
be  easily  examined.  In  the  first  place,  it  may  be  remark- 
ed, that  the  western  people  have  sometimes  been  misun- 
derstood, and  have  been  considered  in  the  light  of 
dissatisfied  remonstrants,  when  they  only  asked  the  cor- 
rection of  error,  or  the  redress  of  an  accidental  grievance. 
Such  were  the  petitions  of  several  of  the  states,  for  ex- 
changes of  the  lands  given  for  the  support  of  schools, 
when  portions  of  them  proved  to  be  worthless.  In  most 
instances,  we  believe  in  all,  valuable  considerations  were 
given  by  the  states  for  those  lands,  and  of  course  when 
large  parcels   of  them  were  ascertained  to  be  deficient  in 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  201 

the  value  which  they  purported  to  bear  at  the  time  of  the 
transfer,  there  was  precisely  that  kind  of  failure  of  con- 
sideration, which  would  support  an  equitable,  if  not  a 
legal  claim  upon  the  grantor.  There  have  also  been 
hundreds,  perhaps  thousands,  of  instances  of  individual 
grievance,  which  demanded  legislative  interference ; 
wroners  for  which  existing  laws  provided  no  remedy,  cases 

o  ox  y 

where  titles  to  land  have  become  forfeited  by  the  mistakes 
of  officers,  or  could  not  be  completed  in  consequence  of 
statutory  defects,  or  inconsistencies.     Laws   intended  to 
afford   general   relief,  and    framed  with  due  care,  have 
sometimes  been  so  worded,  as  to  omit  whole  classes  of 
sufferers,  who  were  thus  thrown  again  upon  congress,  in 
the  character  of  petitioners.     Nor  can  it  be   denied,  that 
individuals  have  sometimes  mistaken  their  remedy  ;  that 
even  meritorious  individuals  have  sought  that  remunera- 
tion from  the  generosity  of  congress,  which  was  denied 
them  by  stern  justice  ;  that  imaginary  claims  have  often 
vexed  the  ear  of  government ;  that  the  dreams  of  self-love, 
and  the  speculations  of  the  visionary  and  the  avaricious, 
have   often  been  intruded  upon  the  public.     When  we 
consider  the  vastness  of  the  public  domain,  the  number 
of  citizens  interested  as  purchasers,  as  land  holders,  or  as 
persons  desirous  to  purchase,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  peti- 
tions to  congress,  must  unavoidably  be  numerous,  and 
that  their  number  affords  no  indication  of  public  dissatis- 
faction, or  of  an  importunate  spirit.     The  captious  may 
indeed  complain  of  importunity,  and  the  indolent  or  un- 
discerning,  whose  want  of  information  disables  them  from 
drawing  the  proper  distinction,  between  claims  of  right 
and  petitions  for  bounty,  may  turn  a  deaf  ear ;  but  such 
are  not  the  conclusions  of  enlightened  statesmen,  or  liberal 
men.     Nor  are  these  the  complaints  of  the  country  ;  they 
are  not  grievances  tending  to  disunion,  or  which  ought 
for  a  moment  to  disturb  the  equanimity  of  either  of  the 
great  parties  to  the  question  before  us.     They  are  claims 


202  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

of  right,  to  be  decided  upon  evidence  ;  or  they  are  sup- 
posititious demands,  the  rejection  of  which  can  excite  no 
public  irritation.  The  whole  of  the  cases  to  which  we 
now  allude,  are,  in  short,  analogous  to  suits  at  law,  and 
we  are  not  prepared  to  admit  that  the  decision  of  the 
former,  would  ever  cause  public  dissatisfaction,  any  more 
than  the  adjudication  of  the  latter.  The  reader  of  the 
congressional  proceedings,  and  even  the  member  of  con- 
gress, who  does  not  reflect  sufficiently  upon  the  peculiar 
connection  between  the  western  states  and  the  general 
government  may  be  startled  at  the  number  of  the  petitions 
presented  to  that  body  by  western  members,  and  draw 
unfavourable  inferences  from  that  fact ;  but  the  suggestions 
which  we  have  thrown  out  will  show  the  injustice  of  such 
deductions. 

Such  being  the  extensive,  the  complicated,  and  the 
important  interests,  involved  in  this  branch  of  the  subject, 
and  the  parties  to  be  affected  being  so  numerous,  differen- 
ces of  opinion  may  well  arise.  But  these  are  generally 
collisions  of  interest,  and  not  controversies  as  to  princi- 
ples. The  fundamental  rules,  which  ought  to  govern 
these  sales,  are  well  settled,  and  thoroughly  understood  : 
but  different  classes  of  men,  and  the  inhabitants  of  differ- 
ent sections  of  the  country,  entertain  conflicting  opinions 
as  to  their  respective  interests,  and  naturally  seek  advan- 
tages for  themselves.  Therefore  we  find  a  variety  of 
modes  of  disposing  of  the  public  land,  originating  from 
various  quarters,  and  advocated  with  untiring  zeal,  and 
admirable  ingenuity. 

Some  of  these  plans  have  merits,  some  are  merely  spe- 
cious, while  many  are  not  even  seriously  advocated  by 
their  projectors,  but  are  mere  hobbies,  on  which  dema- 
gogues ride  into  office,  and  which  are  abandoned  when 
the  temporary  purpose  for  which  they  were  brought  into 
existence,  has  been  accomplished.  The  men  who  love 
the  people,  have  been  ingenious  in  every  age  of  the  world, 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  203 

in  giving  a  momentary  importance  to  their  own  whims, 
or  artful  designs,  by  making  them  assume  the  appearance 
of  public  sentiment. 

But  should  congress  reject  all  these  propositions,  will 
the  western  states  have  cause  to  complain  1  Have  they 
any  reason  to  consider  themselves  oppressed,  by  the  ad- 
herence of  government,  to  a  system  under  which  they 
have  enjoyed  such  unexampled  prosperity  ?  Will  the 
minority  be  so  deficient  in  patriotism  as  not  to  submit 
cheerfully  to  the  decision  of  the  majority  ?  Will  the  gen- 
erous west,  heretofore  so  loyal,  so  patriotic  in  the  hour 
of  danger,  so  proud  of  her  rising  greatness,  tarnish  her 
young  fame  by  disobedience,  or  by  being  guilty  of  the 
weakness  of  indulging  resentful  feelings  ?  Far  from  it. 
The  people  are  not  oppressed,  and  cannot  be  persuaded 
to  fancy  themselves  the  objects  of  oppression. 

We  have  already  shown  that  the  western  country  at 
large  is  in  a  prosperous  condition ;  and  when  we  read 
some  of  those  injudicious  speeches  in  congress,  in  which 
a  contrary  idea  is  held  out,  we  are  forcibly  reminded  of  a 
beautiful  oriental  fable.  A  prime  minister  who  had  grown 
grey  in  office,  was  sentenced  to  death,  on  suspicion  of 
mal-administration,  but  in  consideration  of  his  long  ser- 
vice, his  punishment  was  commuted,  at  his  own  request, 
to  banishment  to  a  deserted  village.  But  on  search,  a 
depopulated  village  was  not  to  be  found  in  the  whole  em- 
pire. "  Can  that  nation  be  badly  governed,"  he  exclaim- 
ed, "  in  which  every  village  is  prosperous  ?"  He  was 
reinstated. 

A  few  facts  will  set  this  matter  in  its  true  light.  Land 
is  now  sold  in  tracts  of  forty  acres,  at  $1.25  per  acre. 
For  fifty  dollars,  an  unimproved  tract  of  forty  acres  may 
be  purchased.  In  any  of  the  states  west  of  the  Ohio 
river,  a  laborer  can  earn  75  cents  a  day,  and  if  his  living 
be  supposed  to  cost  25  cents,  which  in  this  plentiful 
country  is  a  large  estimate,  he  can,  by  the  labor  of  one 


204  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

hundred  days,  or  about  four  months,  purchase  a  farm. 
But  as  the  working  days  in  a  year,  excluding  bad  weather, 
might  not  amount  to  more  than  200,  it  may  be  safely  as- 
serted that  a  laborer  can  purchase  a  tract  of  40  acres,  by 
six  months  steady  work,  and  that  by  the  labor  of  a  year 
he  may  purchase  80  acres.  Again,  a  laborer  can  get  his 
board,  and  ten  dollars  per  month,  the  year  round,  which 
would  amount  to  $120,  and  if  $20  be  deducted  for  cloth- 
ing, he  will  thus  be  enabled  to  purchase  a  farm,  in  six 
months,  or  a  larger  one  in  a  year.  All  kinds  of  stock 
can  be  raised  in  this  country  with  facility,  and  at  little 
cost.  A  good  work  horse  is  worth  fifty  dollars — a  cow 
from  five  to  ten  dollars,  a  fat  steer  from  ten  to  twenty, 
and  hogs  from  two  to  five  dollars  per  hundred  pounds. 
A  man  then  can  purchase  forty  acres  of  land  by  the  sale 
of  a  horse,  or  from  four  to  six  head  of  cattle,  or  ten  hogs ; 
and  as  individuals  are  not  prevented  from  settling  on  the 
public  lands,  but  rather  encouraged,  the  means  are  thus 
afforded  to  farmers  to  acquire  this  property  previous  to 
the  purchase  of  the  soil.  Mechanic's  wages  are  much 
higher ;  those  who  work  in  the  most  useful  arts,  such  as 
carpenters,  blacksmiths,  shoemakers,  &c.  find  ready  em- 
ployment. An  individual  of  this  class  may  earn  money 
enough  to  buy  eighty  acres,  in  six  months — some  of  them 
can  earn  their  acre  per  day.  A  person  who  teaches  a 
common  English  school,  receives  from  $2  50  to  $3, 
per  quarter  for  each  pupil,  and  such  persons  are  in  great 
demand.  A  school  of  thirty  scholars  will  yield  ninety 
dollars  per  quarter,  or  $360  per  year.  Let  it  be  further 
taken  into  consideration,  that  the  extensive  public  works 
now  in  progress  under  the  general  and  state  governments, 
furnish  employment,  and  high  wages,  to  laborers  and 
mechanics,  and  supply  a  circulating  medium,  and  it  will 
be  seen  that  any  industrious  man  may  buy  a  farm. 

If  then  the  people  are  not  suffering  material  injury,  but 
are  really  prosperous,  would  it  be  wise  to  change  the  ex- 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  205 

isting  system,  merely  because  it  may  jar  with  some  poli- 
tical hypothesis  of  state  rights,  or  jostle  some  abstract 
theory,  relative  to  the  balance  of  power  in  our  thriving 
family  of  republics?  Will  the  people  suffer  themselves 
to  be  deprived  of  the  solid  advantages  in  their  possession, 
by  the  promise  of  benefits  of  doubtful  value?  Are  the 
speculations  of  politicians  to  be  for  a  moment  weighed  in 
the  balance  against  the  rapid  advance  of  the  country,  the 
peace,  the  security,  the  thousand  blessings,  which  are  not 
visions  of  the  brain,  hut  substantial  present  enjoyments '? 
Above  all  shall  we  be  drawn  into  these  delusions  by  im- 
aginary distinctions,  which  are  attempted  to  be  drawn, 
between  the  state  and  federal  governments,  both  of  which 
are  equally  ours,  and  have  in  fact  no  separate  interests  ? 
There  is  no  cause  for  dissatisfaction.  The  next  ques- 
tion which  we  proposed  to  examine,  is  in  relation  to  the 
existence  of  that  feeling.  Is  there,  in  fact,  any  discon- 
tent prevailing  in  the  new  states,  towards  the  general 
government,  in  regard  to  the  public  domain  ?  Ours  is  a 
country  in  which  the  murmurs  of  discontent  are  not  sup- 
pressed, nor  the  hearty  shout  of  approbation  restrained. 
The-  oppressed  find  every  where  bold  and  able  cham- 
pions ;  the  expression  of  public  opinion  is  free,  and  the 
organs  for  disseminating  opinions  numerous.  In  the  west 
especially,  where  the  practice  of  stump-speaking  prevails, 
and  where  candidates  for  popular  suffrage  are  required  to 
address  the  people,  upon  the  various  topics  which  agitate 
the  public  mind,  the  tone  of  public  sentiment  cannot  be 
mistaken.  Do  we  hear  of  tumultuous  meetings,  of  in- 
flammatory addresses,  of  threats  to  nullify  the  acts  of  tne 
government,  in  these  loyal  states  ?  On  the  contrary,  al- 
though a  high  degree  of  excitability  pervades  the  Union, 
and  the  slightest  spark  produces  an  explosion  of  indig- 
nant feeling,  the  western  states  are  quiet.  The  tenants 
of  the  ant-hill,  or  the  bee-hive,  are  not  more  industrious 
nor  inoffensive.     The  onlv  excitement  is  that  of  enter- 

S 


206  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

prise,  the  only  hum  that  of  business.  Tariff,  masonry, 
nullification,  abolition,  and  Roman  Catholics,  vex  them 
not.  While  the  north  and  the  south  fright  the  land  from 
its  propriety,  by  the  earnestness  of  their  contentions,  the 
west  is  in  repose.  As  our  nation  laid  the  foundations  of 
its  greatness,  while  the  rest  of  the  world  was  at  war,  so 
the  new  states  are  quietly  gaining  population,  wealth,  and 
power,  while  the  old  are  wasting  their  energies  in  idle 
contention.  It  is  true,  that  politicians,  in  the  dearth  of 
subjects  for  popular  discussion,  declaim  in  good  set  terms 
about  the  public  lands,  assert  roundly  that  the  country  is 
embarrassed,  and  declare  its  liberties  in  danger  from  the 
action  of  the  general  government.  But  where  is  the  free 
country,  or  what  the  time,  in  which  such  harangues  have 
not  been  made  ?  They  are  "  the  cankers  of  a  calm  world 
and  a  long  peace,"  the  outbreakings  of  a  restless  ambi- 
tion, which  finding  no  excitement  around  it,  endeavors  to 
create  the  element  in  which  alone  it  can  live.  But  we 
assert,  from  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  western  people, 
that  a  traveler  may  pass  through  the  length  and  breadth 
of  the  new  states,  without  hearing  the  public  lands  men- 
tioned, by  the  people,  in  the  tone  of  complaint.  In  par- 
ticular districts,  temporary  excitements  are  gotten  up,  for 
special  purposes,  which  subside  when  those  purposes  are 
accomplished.  But  the  people  at  large  are  well  satisfied 
with  the  present  arrangement.  In  no  portion  of  the 
Union  is  there  more  of  a  national,  and  less  of  a  sectional 
feeling,  than  in  the  west.  The  western  people  have 
grown  up  under  the  patronage  of  the  government,  they 
have  fought  under  its  banners,  they  feel  identified  with 
its  fame,  and  their  affections  are  entwined  around  it. 
They  feel,  too,  the  pride  of  conscious  strength.  In  pro- 
moting the  prosperity  of  the  whole  nation,  they  are  build- 
ing up  that  great  community,  whose  destinies  will  one 
day  be  swayed  by  themselves.  They  cannot  be  jealous 
of  the  power  of  the  government,  any  more  than  a  son  is 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  207 

jealous  of  the  paternal  authority,  which  will  soon  de- 
scend to  himself. 

We  shall  close  this  article,  already  longer  than  we  in- 
tended, by  adverting  to  the  proposition  to  dispose  of  the 
public  domain,  to  the  several  states,  in  which  it  lies. 
We  should  deprecate  such  a  measure.  Most  of  the  ar- 
guments to  be  urged  against  it  have  been  anticipated.  If 
the  present  system  teems  with  the  advantages  which  we 
have  enumerated,  it  would  be  inexpedient  to  relinquish 
them,  for  a  measure  of  doubtful  policy.  If  the  "  gradu- 
ally accumulating  causes  of  inquietude  and  difficulty," 
assigned  as  the  chief  reasons  in  favor  of  a  change,  are 
shown  to  be  overrated  or  imaginary,  those  reasons  cease 
to  have  weight.  Let  us  examine  the  proposition  a  little 
more  closely.  One  of  the  greatest  advantages  in  the  pres- 
ent system,  is  the  uniformity  which  prevails  in  the  price 
of  land,  and  mode  of  sale.  The  lands  of  the  govern- 
ment, although  lving  in  different  states,  are  all  offered  at 
the  same  price,  the  land  offices  are  all  organized  alike,  the 
manner  of  sale  every  where  the  same,  and  the  regulations 
published  by  government  are  of  general  operation,  and 
easily  accessible.  Should  these  lands  become  the  pro- 
perty of  the  several  states  in  which  they  lie,  all  this 
might  be  changed.  One  state  might  sell  for  cash,  and 
another  upon  credit ;  one  might  determine  to  sell  only  to 
the  actual  settler,  another  might  adopt  a  different  arrange- 
ment ;  one  might  hold  her  lands  at  a  high  price,  and  an- 
other rate  them  low  ;  or  they  might  all  engage  in  a  ruin- 
ous competition,  by  endeavoring  to  undersell  each  other. 
That  different  systems  would  be  adopted  in  the  different 
states,  we  have  ample  reason  to  believe  ;  and  it  is  equally 
probable  that  those  systems  would  be  often  changed. 
Publicity  would  be  given  to  these  several,  and  ever  vary- 
ing systems,  through  various  different  channels,  and  the 
emigrant  would  have  to  search  the  statute  books  and 
newspapers  of  a  number  of  states,  in  order  to  ascertain 


208  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

the  relative  advantages  offered  to  the  purchaser.  Should 
the  states  enter  into  a  competition  to  entice  population, 
there  is  no  knowing  where  the  confusion  would  end,  or 
to  what  extent  the  fierceness  of  contention,  or  the  sor- 
didness  of  speculation,  might  be  carried  ;  and  these  sister 
states,  now  so  united  in  feeling,  so  happy  in  their  pros- 
perity, so  closely  allied  by  juxta-position  and  interest, 
might  become  the  theatre  of  jealousies  growing  from  year 
to  year,  and  ending  in  settled  animosity. 

Several  of  these  states  have  had  fearful  experience  of 
the  evil  of  creating  the  relation  of  debtor  and  creditor  be- 
tween the  government  and  its  citizens.  In  Kentucky, 
the  lands  south  of  Green  river,  were  sold  by  the  state,  to 
her  citizens,  upon  credit.  Instead  of  proving  a  blessing, 
thev  have  been  a  curse  :  instead  of  enriching  her  treasu- 
ry,  they  have  impoverished  it.  Every  year  brought  the 
purchasers  of  land  before  the  legislature,  as  petitioners, 
for  extension  of  the  time  of  payment ;  and  although  thirtv 
years  have  elapsed  since  the  sales  commenced,  the  same 
process  is  annually  continued.  The  expenses  of  legis- 
lation eat  up  all  the  proceeds.  Nor  is  this  all.  The 
"  Green  river  claim,"  has  become  a  standing  theme,  as 
everlasting  as  the  famous  case  of  Amy  Darden's  horse. 
A  number  of  counties  are  now  interested  in  it,  in  which 
members  to  the  legislature  can  only  be  elected,  under  a 
pledge  to  become  its  advocates,  and  a  party  is  thus  formed, 
of  which  the  members,  however  highminded,  are  obliged 
by  circumstances,  to  unite  in  supporting  a  measure  of 
local  popularity,  even  at  the  sacrifice  of  high  general  in- 
terests. In  Tennessee,  a  valuable  reservation  of  lands, 
set  apart  to  promote  education,  was  sold  in  a  similar  man- 
ner, and  the  proceeds  released,  here  a  little  and  there  a 
little,  until  nearly  the  whole  has  been  squandered  ;  while 
the  moral  effect  upon  the  ordinary  legislation  of  the  state, 
has  been  as  pernicious  as  in  the  former  case.  In  several 
of  the  states,  banks  have  been  created,  and  money  loaned 


PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  200 

by  the  state  to  the  people.  In  every  instance,  the  effect 
has  been  the  same  ;  a  relief  party  has  been  organized, 
and  prepared  to  appease  the  clamors  of  the  people  at 
every  hazard.  These  instances  all  illustrate  a  simple  pro- 
position. Where  the  representative  can  confer  on  his 
constituent  a  pecuniary  advantage,  out  of  the  public  funds, 
there  is  a  direct  tendency  to  corruption.  If  the  candidate 
for  a  seat  in  the  legislature,  can  promise  to  sell  lands  to 
the  voters  at  fifty  cents  an  acre,  for  which  the  existing 
price  is  one  dollar;  or  where  a  majority  are  debtors,  will 
promise  to  postpone  the  day  of  payment ;  there  will  al- 
ways be  found  men  ready  to  become  parties  to  such  con- 
tracts. Such  propositions,  though  at  first  made  with  cau- 
tion, become  sanctioned  in  the  eyes  of  the  people  by  fre- 
quent repetition,  the  doctrine  grows  popular,  and  candi- 
dates, always  quicksighted  in  discovering  the  road  to  of- 
fice, espouse  it  with  zeal.  Under  the  present  system, 
we  are  free  from  such  abuses.  Of  the  twenty-four  states 
which  compose  the  Union,  but  seven  are  occupied  by 
portions  of  the  public  domain,  and  if  we  suppose  it  pos- 
sible for  the  representatives  from  those  states  to  unite,  in 
advocating  measures  of  the  character  alluded  to,  there 
would  be  a  controling  influence  in  the  remainder,  which 
would  preserve  the  purity  of  Congress,  and  regulate  the 
sales  of  land  with  impartial  justice. 

For  similar  reasons  we  should  object  to  the  proposed 
law  to  divide  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  of  public  lands 
among  the  states.  Not  only  do  we  consider  these  pro- 
ceeds to  be  as  properly  revenue,  available  for  all  the  pur- 
poses of  government,  but  we  are  sure  that  if  any  portion 
of  them  are  to  be  expended  for  education,  or  internal  im- 
provement, the  appropriations  can  be  more  judiciously 
made,  and  more  economically  expended  by  the  United 
States,  than  by  the  states.  Let  those  who  are  interested, 
inquire  into  the  fate  of  some  of  the  grants  made  to  states 
for  canals,  and  how  the  state  legislatures  have  used  the 

s  2 


210  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

funds  given  them  for  a  specific  purpose.  Let  them  look 
at  the  disposition  of  the  college  and  school  lands  in  at 
least  two  of  the  states,  and  they  will  see  that  valuable 
tracts  which  would  have  commanded  a  large  advance  on 
the  government  price,  have  been  given  away  under  a 
wretched  system  of  favoritism  and  collusion,  by  which 
pre-emption  rights,  were  given  to  persons  who  had  set- 
tled on  these  lands,  after  they  had  been  set  apart  for  a 
specific  purpose.  The  abuses  of  this  description  are 
numerous,  and  intimately  known  to  those  who  have  been 
engaged  in  politics.  They  should  warn  us  to  beware  how 
we  rashly  endanger  so  extensive  a  property,  and  risk  the 
many  advantages  we  enjoy,  under  our  admirable  land 
system,  by  giving  up  any  thing  to  the  state  legislatures, 
which  may  be  retained  in  the  hands  of  representatives 
more  able,  more  experienced,  and  equally  responsible  to 
the  people. 

The  following  is  the  estimate  of  the  amounts  of  money 
which  would  be  paid  to  the  several  states,  out  of  the  sur- 
plus revenue  now  in  the  treasury,  should  the  proposed 
distribution  of  the  proceeds  of  the  public  lands  take  place  : 


Share  for 
each  State. 

15  per  cent, 
to  new  States. 

Total  to 
new  States. 

Maine,        ....     689,028 
New  Hampshire,  -     -  464,587 
Massachusetts,     -       1,052,953 
Rhode  Island,     -     -       167,650 

Connecticut,    -     -     -     513,472 

Vermont,      -     -     -     -  484,133 
New  York,     -     -     -  3,309,503 
New  Jersey,      -     -     -  551,865 
Pennsylvania,      -     -  2,325,424 
Delaware,    -    -    -    -  130,120 
Maryland,-     -     -     -     700,079 

Virginia,       -     -     -     1,765,554 
North  Carolina,      -     1,103,563 
South  Carolina,      -        784,918 
Georgia,     -    -    -    -     741,423 
Kentucky,     -     -     -     1,072,660 
Tennessee,      -    -       1,078,578 

• 

PUBLIC    DOMAIN.  211 


Share  for 

15  per  rent. 

Total  to 

each  Bum. 

to  new  States. 

new  States. 

Ohio.        -    -    -    - 

1,614,400 

930344 

1,845,244 

Louisiana,       -    - 

-     396,179 

67,561 

363,733 

Indiana,         -     -     - 

-  591,738 

395,485 

9  17,2 13 

Illinois,      -     -     - 

-     271,078 

■IK*,  760 

751.  B38 

Missouri,      -     -     - 

-  S 9  1,972 

174,354 

399,397 

Mississippi,    -    - 

-      190,367 

788,103 

97*, 770 

Alabama,      -     -     - 

-  452,826 

541,910 

994,766 

We  hope  that  this  controversy,  if  a  controversy  it  is 
destined  to  be,  will  be  conducted  upon  broad  and  national 
principles  ;  that  sectional  interests  will  not  be  permitted 
to  mingle  in  the  discussion  ;  and  that  this  noble  domain, 
the  heritage  of  the  American  people,  purchased  with  their 
treasure,  and  peopled  under  the  auspices  of  their  govern- 
ment, will  remain,  at  least  for  a  time,  under  the  disposal 
of  the  national  legislature.  Whenever  the  wisdom  or  the 
liberality  of  Congress  shall  become  questionable,  or  its 
purity  less  than  that  of  the  state  legislatures  ;  when  ver 
the  public  lands  shall  be  unequally  distributed,  or  their 
proceeds  appropriated  with  partiality ;  whenever  the 
western  states  shall  be  oppressed,  or  the  people  believe 
themselves  the  objects  of  oppression,  we  shall  advocate 
the  disposal  of  the  lands  to  the  states  in  which  they  lie, 
or  the  distribution  of  the  proceeds — but  not  until  then. 

The  following  data  are  condensed  from  an  able  report 
of  Mr.  Woodbury,  the  present  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  : 

The  whole  amount  of  lands  now  owned  by  the  United 
States  Government,  within  the  states  and  territories,  ex- 
ceeds 330,000,000  of  acres,  and  that  owned  west  of 
the  Mississippi,  and  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  exceeds 
750,000,000.  Of  this  last,  about  80  millions  have  been 
appropriated  to  Indian  tribes,  the  balance  remains  un- 
disposed of.  The  Secretary  estimates  the  one  fourth  or 
270,000,000  as  waste  land,  or  covered  with  water,  and  one 
half  of  the  whole  too  poor  for  cultivation  for  many  years 

Of  the  land  owned  by  the  government  within  the 
states  and  territories,  there  has  been  surveyed  and  offered 


212  PUBLIC    DOMAIN. 

for  sale  from  the  year  1789  to  1834,  122,000,000  of  acres, 
not  one  third  of  which  has  been  sold.  The  whole  pro- 
ceeds of  the  sales  during  that  time,  have  amounted  to 
about  50,000,000  of  dollars,  and  the  net  proceeds  after 
deducting  charges,  for  purchase,  surveying,  management, 
&c,  are  about  4,000,000  of  dollars. 

The  quantity  actually  sold  from  1789  to  1834,  a  period 
of  45  years,  after  deducting  about  6,333,333  acres,  sold 
under  the  old  credit  system,  and  which  afterwards  re- 
verted, was  about  37,500,000  acres.  The  quantities  be- 
stowed in  bounties,  during  the  last  war,  and  for  schools 
and  other  purposes  is  about  16,000,000  of  acres. 

The  sales  never  amounted  in  one  year  to  one  million 
of  acres  until  1815.  In  1817  they  amounted  to  2,500,- 
000  acres,  and  in  1819  under  the  credit  system,  and 
high  price  of  cotton,  to  5,500,000  acres,  thus  exceeding 
the  sales  of  1834,  considerably.  The  price  of  cotton 
fell  in  1820,  and  left  the  country  indebted  for  lands,  to 
nearly  the  amount  of  22,000,000  of  dollars.  The  credit 
system  was  then  changed  to  cash,  and  by  the  relinquish- 
ment of  the  lands  to  the  government,  the  debt  was  nearly 
extinguished.  The  annual  sales  again  fell  below  one 
million  of  acres,  and  continued  thus  until  1825.  In  that 
year  the  price  of  cotton  began  to  rise,  and  the  quantity  of 
land  sold  also  increased,  and  in  the  year  1829,  again  ex- 
ceeded one  million  of  acres.  From  1829  to  1834,  there  has 
been  a  steady  enlargement  of  the  quantity  sold.  In  1834  it 
amounted  to  4,000,000  of  acres,  and  in  1835,  is  estimated 
at  9,000,000  of  acres.  The  Secretary  estimates,  that  from 
the  increase  of  our  agricultural  population,  and  other 
causes,  the  sales  for  the  next  six  or  seven  years,  will  ex- 
ceed 1,000,000  of  acres,  and  that  the  proceeds  maybe 
estimated  at  from  3  to  6,000,000  annually.  The  exports 
of  cotton  in  1790,  amounted  to  500,000  pounds,  in  1834  to 
380,000,000  of  pounds,  whilst  the  home  manufactures 
consumed  90,000,000  during  the  same  year.     We  now 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS.  213 

furnish  fifteen  sixteenths  of  ;ill  die  cotton  consumed  in 
Great  Britain,  and  seven  tenths  of  all  that  is  consumed  in 
France.  The  value  of  the  fabric!  manufactured  from  the 
raw  material  furnished  by  us,  is  to  (J  real  Britain  $180,- 
800,000,  and  to  France  180,000,000,  and  to  our  own 
manufactures  about  $62,000,000. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Western  Steamboats. 


When  we  consider  the  unexampled  rapidity  with  which 
the  western  states  have  acquired  population  and  impor- 
tance, we  are  surprised,  not  only  at  that  fact,  but  at  the 
inadequate  ideas  which  have  heretofore  prevailed  as  to 
the  magnitude  and  resources  of  this  country.  We  are  a 
traveling  and  a  calculating  people,  and  it  seems  strange 
that  those  who  visited  the  western  wilds  in  early  times, 
should  not  have  foreseen  the  events  which  have  since 
transpired.  That  they  did  make  golden  reports,  we  are 
aware;  but  contrary  to  all  experience  in  similar  cases, 
those  reports  have  fallen  far  short  of  the  truth,  and  all  that 
tias  been  dreamed  and  prophesied  in  relation  to  this  re- 
gion, by  its  most  sanguine  admirers,  has  been  more  than 
realized.  When  a  few  hunters,  encamped  in  the  forests 
of  Kentucky,  heard  the  rumor  of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  . 
and  gave  that  name  to  the  spot  on  which  they  reposed,, 
how  little  could  they  have  imagined,  that  within  the  du- 
ration of  one  human  life,  a  town  of  excelling  beauty,  and 
a  population  remarkable  for  its  intelligence  and  refinement, 
would  spring  to  maturity  in  these  shades — or  that  in  the 
wilderness  beyond  them,  a  population  would  grow  up 
within  the  same  period,  superior  in  number  to  that  which 


214  WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 

was  then  contending  for  independence,  against  the  most 
powerful  nation  of  Europe  !  But  when  intelligent  men, 
with  better  opportunities  for  observation,  explored  this 
region  after  the  germs  of  its  greatness  had  begun  to  ex- 
pand, even  they  had  but  faint  conceptions  of  its  destiny. 
We  shall  endeavor  to  assign  a  few  reasons  why  this 
country  was  thus  underrated,  and  why  it  has  outstripped 
the  largest  calculations  which  were  made  in  its  favor. 

Fifty  years  ago,  it  was  known  that  the  western  lands 
were  fertile,  and  watered  by  fine  rivers,  and  settlements 
were  made  on  the  eastern  sides  of  the  Ohio  and  Missis- 
sippi. But  the  inhabitants  were  exposed  to  the  hostile 
attacks  of  the  Indians,  who  occupied  the  whole  region  to 
the  west  and  north,  except  a  few  spots  held  by  the  French. 
The  hostile  dispositions  of  the  Indian  tribes,  and  their 
superiority  of  numbers,  rendered  it  dangerous  to  explore 
any  part  of  the  country  in  Avhich  they  hunted,  and  im- 
practicable to  visit  large  portions  of  it.  It  was  therefore 
but  partially  explored,  and  immense  districts  which  are 
now  considered  in  all  respects  the  most  desirable,  were 
then  totally  unknown.  As  the  Indians  retired  the  coun- 
try came  into  notice,  as  a  fine  landscape  painting  is  dis- 
closed by  the  gradual  rising  of  a  curtain.  The  parts  that 
were  settled  were  continually  subject  to  invasion,  and  the 
inhabitants  dreadfully  harassed.  The  most  shocking 
enormities  were  perpetrated ;  and  only  the  hardiest  pio- 
neers ventured  to  reside  near  the  frontier,  or  to  explore 
the  lands  in  the  vicinity  of  such  dangerous  neighbors. 
Those  atrocities  no  longer  occur ;  the  powerful  arm  of 
our  government,  and  the  mild  influence  of  its  pacific  in- 
stitutions, are  felt  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains, and  on  the  remotest  portion  the  dwelling  of  the 
pioneer  is  sacred.  The  murder  of  a  white  man  by  an 
Indian  is  now  of  rare  occurrence  ;  more  rare  than  the 
murder  of  white  men  by  each  other  ;  and  the  massacre  of 
a  family  is  no  longer  apprehended.     This  happy  change 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS.  ^15 

has  taken  place  since  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain;  and 
we  may  attribute  the  rapid  growth  of  the  western  country 
within  the  last  fifteen  years,  chiefly  to  the  security  with 
which  it  has  been  explored  and  made  known,  and  the 
safety  enjoyed  by  the  people,  who  have  thus  been  ena- 
bled-to  spread  over  the  surface  in  every  direction. 

The  reported  unhealthiness  of  the  western  country, 
was  a  great  obstacle  to  its  early  settlement.  The  entire 
history  of  our  population,  from  the  landing  of  our  ancestors 
on  the  Atlantic  coast,  until  now,  shows  that  new  settle- 
ments are  generally  subject  to  violent,  and  rapidly  fatal 
diseases  ;  those  west  of  the  mountains  have  not  been 
more  greatly  afflicted  in  this  way  than  others  of  older 
date,  but  the  pioneers  suffered  sufficiently  to  excite  the 
alarm  of  the  timid,  and  to  give  rise  to  reports  which  were 
greatly  exaggerated. 

The  country  was  at  first  difficult  of  access  ;  indeed,  for 
all  the  beneficial  purposes  of  commerce  it  was  almost  in- 
accessible. The  port  of  New  Orleans,  and  the  country 
bordering  on  the  Mississippi,  were  held  by  Spain,  by 
whom  our  right  to  navigate  that  river  was  denied.  Had 
the  latter  privilege  been  conceded  to  us,  the  possession 
by  a  foreign  power  of  the  only  port  of  entry,  and  place 
of  deposit,  which  was  accessible  to  the  western  people, 
must  have  rendered  the  trade  in  that  direction  precarious, 
by  subjecting  it  to  expensive  duties,  and  frequent  inter- 
ruptions. Setting  these  difficulties  aside,  New  Orleans 
was  not  then,  as  it  is  now,  a  large  commercial  city ;  it 
was  a  small  town,  without  capital  or  enterprise,  and  re- 
puted to  be  so  fatally  unhealthy,  that  its  future  growth 
was  considered  as  entirely  improbable.  And,  the  navi- 
gation from  that  place,  to  our  northern  ports,  on  the  At- 
lantic coast,  was,  as  it  still  remains  to  a  considerable 
extent,  dangerous  and  expensive  ;  while  the  ascent  of  the 
Mississippi,  against  its  mighty  current,  by  means  of  the 
boats  then  in  use,  was  a  slow  and  most  laborious  process. 


216  WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 

The  communication  through  our  own  interior  was  quite 
as  unpromising.  The  Allegheny  ridge  formed  a  barriei, 
which  was  then  almost  impassable.  The  width  of  this 
chain  is  seldom  less  than  sixty  miles ;  and  it  presents  in 
its  whole  extent  a  series  of  mountains,  cliffs,  and  chasms, 
as  wild  and  hideous  in  their  appearance,  as  they  seem 
insurmountable  in  their  character.  No  practical  man  of 
that  day,  imagined  the  remote  probability  of  constructing 
a  good  road  through  this  district.  To  climb  its  precipi- 
ces, to  hew  down  its  rocks,  to  throw  bridges  over  its 
gulphs,  to  pass  its  headlong  torrents, — in  short,  to  enable 
the  traveler  to  journey  with  ease  and  rapidity  over  this 
alpine  region,  has  been  the  recent  work  of  genius  and 
enterprise,  and  the  result  of  a  spirit  peculiar  to  our  own 
times. 

The  purchase  of  Louisiana,  the  free  navigation  of  the 
Mississippi,  the  increased  importance  of  the  New  Orleans 
market,  the  improvements  in  the  coasting  navigation,  the 
New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  Ohio  canals,  and  the  turn- 
pikes which  cross  the  mountains  at  various  points,  may 
be  set  down  as  among  the  causes  which  have  led  to  the 
rapid  growth  of  this  country  ;  and  it  may  be  added,  that 
many  of  these  events  were  as  unforeseen  as  thevhave  been 
eminently  great  and  advantageous.  Some  of  them  have 
all  the  brilliancy  of  splendid  achievement,  and  all  of  them 
have  contributed  to  increase  the  wealth,  and  elevate  the 
character  of  the  nation. 

The  introduction  of  steam  boats  upon  the  western  wa- 
ters, deserves  a  separate  mention,  because  it  has  contribut- 
ed more  than  any  other  single  cause,  perhaps  more  than 
all  other  causes  which  have  grown  out  of  human  skill, 
combined,  to  advance  the  prosperity  of  the  west.  The 
striking  natural  features  of  this  country  are,  its  magnitude 
— its  fertility — its  mineral  wealth — the  number  and  ex- 
tent of  its  rivers.  Its  peculiar  adaptation  to  commercial 
purposes,  is  evident.     The  richness  of  the  soil,  and  the 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS.  217 

abundance  of  all  the  useful  minerals,  combine  to  render 
agricultural  labors  easy,  cheap,  and  greatly  productive. 
The  amount  of  produce  raised  for  consumption,  and  for 
export,  is  great ;  and  the  people  are  therefore  not  only 
able,  but  liberally  disposed,  to  purchase  foreign  products. 
They  do,  in  fact,  live  more  freely,  and  purchase  more 
amply,  than  the  farmers  of  any  other  country.  The 
amount,  therefore,  of  commercial  capital  employed,  as 
compared  with  the  amount  of  population,  is  great ;  and 
the  vast  superficial  extent  of  country  over  which  these 
operations  may  be  extended  with  safety  and  facility,  and 
whose  products  may  be  exchanged,  concentrated,  or  dis- 
tributed, is  unexampled.  There  is  nothing  in  the  topo- 
graphy of  any  other  country,  to  compare  with  the  western 
rivers.  The  Mississippi,  and  her  tributaries  may  be  navi- 
gated in  various  directions,  to  the  distance  of  two  thousand 
miles  from  the  ocean  ;  and  every  portion  of  this  immense 
plain  is  intersected  by  these  natural  canals.  In  these 
respects  nature  has  been  prodigal ;  it  was  left  to  human 
skill  and  energy,  to  turn  her  gifts  to  the  best  advantage, 
and  never  was  the  intellect  of  man  more  usefully  employ- 
ed than  in  the  discovery  and  successful  introduction  of 
steam  navigation.  It  was  all  that  the  western  country 
needed ;  and  the  name  of  Fulton  should  be  cherished  here 
with  that  of  Washington :  if  the  one  conducted  us  to  lib- 
erty, the  other  has  given  us  prosperity — the  one  broke 
the  chains  which  bound  us  to  a  foreign  country,  the  other 
has  extended  the  channels  of  intercourse,  and  multiplied 
the  ties  which  bind  us  to  each  other. 

The  rapidity  with  which  new  channels  of  trade  have 
been  opened,  and  are  now  daily  becoming  developed,  i3 
astonishing  ;  but  the  improvements  in  navigation,  and  in 
the  facilities  for  transporting  merchandise  by  land  and 
water,  have  been  infinitely  greater  and  more  remarkable. 

It  is  needless  to  do  more  than  mention  the  Indian  canoe, 
the  smallest  and  rudest  of  boats,  but  which,  at  a  period 

T 


218  WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 

but  little  beyond  the  memory  of  living  witnesses,  was  the 
only  vessel  that  navigated  our  western  rivers.  For  the 
purpose  of  commerce  they  were  entirely  inadequate,  and 
were  never  used  in  any  regular  branch  of  trade. 

Previous  to  their  intercourse  with  the  whites,  the  canoes 
of  the  Indians  must  have  been  much  more  unwieldy,  and 
imperfect,  than  any  that  are  now  in  use.  They  had  no 
tools  except  the  clumsy  axes  made  of  stone,  of  which  we 
see  specimens  in  our  museums ;  and  their  canoes  were 
made  of  solid  logs  by  burning  away  the  part  intended  to 
be  removed.  Some  of  the  most  distant  tribes,  who  have 
little  trade  with  our  people  still  pursue  the  same  laborious 
and  unsatisfactory  process.  When  iron  tools  were  intro- 
duced, the  canoe  assumed  the  present  shape. 

The  birch  canoe  is  peculiar  to  the  northern  regions, 
where  the  tree  which  supplies  the  bark  is  found.  These 
also  were  probably  of  the  most  crude  and  awkward  con- 
struction, previous  to  the  visits  of  the  French  traders, 
under  whose  direction  they  acquired  the  lightness,  strength, 
and  beauty,  which  have  given  them  their  celebrity. 

The  earliest  improvement  upon  the  canoe,  was  the  Pi- 
rogue, an  invention  of  the  whites.  Like  the  canoe,  this 
boat  is  hewed  out  of  the  solid  log  ;  the  difference  is,  that 
the  pirogue  has  greater  width  and  capacity,  and  is  com- 
posed of  several  pieces  of  timber — as  if  the  canoe  was 
sawed  lengthwise  into  two  equal  sections,  and  a  broad 
flat  piece  of  timber  inserted  in  the  middle,  so  as  to  give 
greater  breadth  of  beam  to  the  vessel.  This  was  proba- 
bly the  identical  process,  by  which  the  Europeans,  unable 
to  procure  planks  to  build  boats,  began  in  the  first  instance 
to  enlarge  canoes,  to  suit  their  purposes.  They  were 
often  used  as  ferryboats,  to  transport  horses  across  our 
rivers,  and  we  have  frequently  seen  them  in  operation,  of 
a  sufficient  size,  to  effect  their  object  in  perfect  safety. 

These  were  succeeded  by  the  barge,  the  keel,  and  the 
Jlat  boat.     Of  the  two  first,  the  barge  was  the  largest, 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS.  219 

had  the  greatest  breadth,  and  the  best  accommodations  for 
passengers,  the  keel  was  longer,  had  less  depth,  and  was 
better  fitted  to  run  in  narrow  and  shallow  channels.  They 
were  navigated  by  a  rude  and  lawless  class  of  men,  who 
became  distinguished  as  well  for  their  drolleries,  as  for 
their  predatory  and  ferocious  habits.  In  the  then  thinly 
scattered  state  of  the  population,  their  numbers  rendered 
them  formidable,  as  there  were  few  villages  on  the  rivers, 
and  still  fewer  settlements,  which  contained  a  sufficient 
number  of  able  bodied  men,  to  cope  with  the  crew  of  a 
barge,  consisting  usually  of  thirty  or  forty  hands  ;  while 
the  arrival  of  several  of  these  boats  together,  made  them 
completely  masters  of  the  place.  Their  mode  of  life,  and 
the  facilities  they  possessed  for  evading  the  law,  were 
such  as  would  naturally  make  them  reckless.  Much  of 
the  distance  through  which  they  traveled  in  their  vovages, 
was  entire  wilderness,  where  they  neither  witnessed  the 
courtesies  of  life,  nor  feltany  of  the  restraints  of  law;  and 
where  for  days,  perhaps  weeks,  together,  thev  associated 
only  with  each  other.  The  large  rivers  whose  meanders 
they  pursued,  formed  the  boundaries  of  states,  so  that  liv- 
ing continually  on  the  lines  which  divided  different  civil 
jurisdictions,  they  could  pass  with  ease  from  one  to  the 
other,  and  never  be  made  responsible  to  any. 

One  of  the  earliest  attempts  at  an  intercourse  with  New 
Orleans,  bv  the  river,  is  so  remarkable  as  to  deserve  a 
separate  mention.  In  1776,  Messrs.  Gibson  and  Linn, 
the  grandfather  of  Dr.  Linn,  now  a  senator  in  Congress 
from  Missouri,  descended  by  water  from  Pittsburgh  to 
New  Orleans,  to  procure  military  stores  for  the  troops 
stationed  at  theTormer  place.  They  completely  succeeded 
in  their  hazardous  enterprise,  and  brought  baek  a  cargo  of 
136  kegs  of  gunpowder.  On  reaching  the  Falls  of  Ohio 
on  their  return  in  the  spring  of  1777,  they  were  obliged 
to  unload  their  boats,  and  carry  the  cargo  round  the  rapids, 
each  of  their  men  carrying  three  kegs  at  a  time  on  hif 


220  WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 

back.  The  powder  was  delivered  at  Wheeling,  and  af- 
terwards transported  to  Fort  Pitt. 

The  character  of  Mike  Fink,  "  the  last  of  the  boat- 
men," has  been  rendered  familiar  to  most  readers,  by  the 
pen  of  one  of  our  best  writers.  He  was  a  leader  of  the 
men  of  his  own  class  ;  and  was  famous  for  his  herculean 
strength,  his  contempt  of  danger,  his  frolics,  and  his  dep- 
redations. He  was  a  coarse,  vulgar,  desperate  man — yet 
possessed  a  degree  of  humor,  hilarity,  and  openness,  that 
made  him  remarkable,  and  conciliated  for  him  a  sort  of 
popularity,  which  caused  him  to  be  universally  known, 
and  still  preserves  his  name  in  tradition.  In  his  calling, 
as  master  of  a  boat,  he  was  faithful — a  quality  which 
seems  to  have  belonged  to  most  of  his  class  ;  for  it  is  a 
singular  fact,  that  lawless  and  wild  as  these  men  were, 
the  valuable  cargoes  of  merchandise  committed  to  their 
care,  and  secured  by  no  other  bond  than  their  integrity, 
were  always  carried  safely  to  their  places  of  destination, 
and  the  traveler,  however  weak,  or  however  richly 
freighted,  relied  securely  on  their  protection. 

In  the  earlier  periods  of  this  navigation,  the  boats  em- 
ployed in  it  were  liable  to  attacks  from  the  Indians,  who 
employed  a  variety  of  artifices  to  decoy  the  crews  into 
their  power.  Sometimes  a  single  individual,  disguised 
in  the  apparel  of  some  unhappy  white  man,  who  had 
fallen  into  their  hands,  appeared  on  the  shore  making 
signals  of  distress,  and  counterfeiting  the  motions  of  a 
wounded  man.  The  crew  supposing  him  to  be  one  of 
their  countrymen,  who  had  escaped  from  the  Indians, 
would  draw  near  the  shore  for  the  purpose  of  taking  him 
on  board ;  nor  would  they  discover  the  deception  until, 
on  touching  the  bank,  a  fierce  band  of  painted  warriors, 
would  rush  upon  them  from  an  artfully  contrived  ambus- 
cade. Sometimes  the  savages  crawled  to  the  water's  edg-e, 
wrapped  in  the  skins  of  bears,  and  thus  allured  the  boat- 
men, who  were  ever  ready  to  exchange  the  oar  for  the 


WESTERN'    STEAiMBOATS.  221 

rifle,  into  their  power.  But  the  red  warriors  were  often 
sufficiently  numerous  to  attempt  by  open  violence,  that 
which  they  found  it  difficult  to  accompliah  by  artifice, 

against  men  as  wary,  and  as  expert  in  border  warfare,  as 
themselves  ;  and  boldly  pursued  the  boats  in  their  canoes, 
or  rushed  upon  the  boatmen,  when  the  incidents,  or  the 
perils,  of  their  navigation,  drove  them  to  the  shore. 

These  boats,  but  rarely  using  sails,  and  receiving  onlv 
an  occasional  impulse  from  their  oars,  descended  the 
stream  with  a  speed  but  little  superior  at  any  time,  to  that 
of  the  current ;  while  they  met  with  many  accidents  and 
delays  to  lengthen  the  voyage.  A  month  was  usually 
consumed  in  the  passage  from  Pittsburgh  to  New  Orleans, 
while  the  return  voyage  was  not  effected  in  less  than  four 
months,  nor  without  a  degree  of  toil  and  exposure  to 
which  nothing  but  the  hardiest  frames,  and  the  most  in- 
domitable spirits,  would  have  been  equal.  The  heavily 
laden  boats  were  propelled  against  the  strong  current  by 
poles,  or,  where  the  stream  was  too  deep  to  admit  the  use 
of  those,  drawn  by  ropes.  The  former  process  required 
the  exertion  of  great  strength  and  activity,  but  the  latter 
was  even  more  difficult  and  discouraging — as  the  laborer, 
obliged  by  the  heat  of  the  climate  to  throw  aside  his  cloth- 
ing, and  exposed  to  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun,  v. 
forced  to  travel  on  the  heated  Sand,  to  wade  through  mire, 
to  climb  precipitous  banks,  to  push  his  way  through  brush, 
and  often  to  tread  along  the  undermined  shore,  which 
giving»way  under  his  feet  precipitated  him  into  the  eddy- 
ing torrent  of  the  Mississippi.  After  a  day  spent  in  toils 
which  strained  every  muscle  to  its  utmost  power  of  ex- 
ertion, he  threw  himself  down  to  sleep,  perhaps  in  the 
open  air,  exposed  to  the  cold  damps  and  noxious  exbala- 
tions  of  the  lower  Mississippi,  and  the  ferocious  attack> 
of  millions  of  musquitoes,  and  reposed  as  unconscious  of 
danger,  or  inconvenience,  as  the  native  alligator  which 
bellowed  in  the  surrounding  swamps. 

t  2 


222  WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 

The  flat  boat,  was  introduced  a  little  later  than  the 
others.  It  is  a  rough  strong  boat,  with  a  perfectly  flat 
bottom,  and  perpendicular  sides ;  and  covered  throughout 
its  whole  length.  Being  constructed  to  float  only  with 
the  current,  it  never  returns  after  descending  the  river. 
These  boats  were  formerly  much  used  by  emigrating  fam- 
ilies, to  transport  themselves  down  the  Ohio,  and  are  still 
built  in  great  numbers  on  the  various  tributary  streams, 
and  floated  out  in  high  water,  with  produce  for  New  Or- 
leans. 

The  French  who  navigated  the  northern  lakes,  the  Mis- 
sissippi, and  its  tributaries,  adopted,  in  their  trade,  the  use 
of  the  Indian  birch  canoe.  McKenney,  in  his  "  Tour  to 
the  Lakes,"  thus  describes  one  of  those  boats.  "  Its 
length  is  thirty  feet,  and  its  breadth  across  the  widest 
part,  about  four  feet.  It  is  about  two  and  a  half  feet  deep 
in  the  centre,  but  only  about  two  feet  near  the  bow  and 
stern.     Its  bottom  is  rounded,  and  has  no  keel." 

"  The  materials  of  which  jhis  canoe  are  built,  are  birch 
bark  and  red  cedar,  \he  whole  fastened  together  with 
wattap,  and  gum,  without  a  nail,  or  bit  of  iron  of  any 
sort  to  confine  the  parts.  The  entire  outside  is  bark — 
the  bark  of  the  birch  tree — and  where  the  edges  join  at 
the  bottom,  or  along  the  sides,  they  are  sewn  with  this 
wattap,  and  then  along  the  line  of  the  seam  it  is  gummed. 
Next  to  the  bark  are  pieces  of  cedar,  shaven  thin,  not 
thicker  than  the  blade  of  a  knife — these  run  horizontals, 
and  are  pressed  against  the  bark  by  means  of  these  ribs 
of  cedar,  which  fit  the  shape  of  the  canoe,  bottom  and 
sides,  and  coming  up  to  the  edges,  are  pointed,  and  let 
into  a  rim  of  cedar  of  about  an  inch  and  a  half  wide, 
and  an  inch  thick,  that  forms  the  gunwale  of  the  canoe, 
and  to  these  by  means  of  the  wattap,  the  bark  and  ribs 
are  all  sewed  ;  the  wattap  being  wrapped  over  the  gun- 
wale, and  passed  through  the  bark  and  ribs.  Across  the 
canoe  are  bars,  some  five  or  six,  to  keep  it  in  shape. 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS.  223 

These  are  fastened  by  bringing  their  ends  against  the 
gunwale,  or  edge,  and  fastening  1 1  if  1 11  to  it  with  wuttap. 
The  seats  of  the  voyageura,  are  along  side  of,  hut  below 
the  bars,  and  are  of  plank,  some  four  inches  wide,  which 
are  swung,  by  means  of  two  pieces  of  rope,  passed  through 
each  end,  from  the  gunwale." 

ThesdfeoatS  were  so  light,  and  so  easily  damaged,  that 
precautions  were  necessary  to  be  taken  in  loading  them, 
yet  the  one  described  above,  carried  not  less  than  two 
thousand  pounds.  With  these  frail  vessels  the  French 
navigated  the  western  ofl  l^md  crossed  the  largest laki  -. 
carrying  on  a  most  e?S|  f}  traffic.  The  great  peculi- 
arity of  this  navigation  is,  that  these  light  canoes  are  car- 
ried with  facility  from  one  river  to  another,  or  around  the 
rapids  and  cascades,  over  which  they  cannot  lloat.  Their 
lading  is  accordingly  made  up  into  packages,  each  of  which 
may  be  carried  by  one  man,  and  these  are  transported  over 
the  portages,  on  the  backs  of  the  engagers,  by  means  of 
straps  passed  over  the  forehead*  These  boats  are  still 
used  in  the  fur  trade. 

As  a  curious  illustration  of  the  rapid  improvement  of 
our  western  vessels,  and  the  growth  of  our  trade,  I  copy 
the  following  advertisement  from  a  newspaper  called 
"The  Centinel  of  the  Northwestern  Territory,"  under 
date  of  Saturday,  January  11,  1794,  by  which  it  will  be 
seen  that  at  that  time  four  keel  boats,  carrying  probably 
not  more  than  20  tons  each,  were  supposed  to  be  suffi- 
cient for  the  trade  between  Cincinnati  and  Pittsburgh,  and 
that  these  were  prepared  to  defend  themselves  against 
enemies. 

"  OHIO  PACKET  BOAT." 

"  Two  Boats  for  the  present  will  start  from  Cincinnati 
for  Pittsburgh,  and  return  to  Cincinnati  in  the  following 
manner,  viz: 

"First  boat  will  leave  Cincinnati  this  morning  at  eight 


224  WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 

o'clock,  and  return  to  Cincinnati,  so  as  to  be  ready  to 
sail  again  in  four  weeks  from  this  date. 

"  Second  boat  will  leave  Cincinnati  on  Saturday  the  30th 
inst.  and  return  to  Cincinnati  in  four  weeks  as  above. 

"  And  so  regularly,  each  boat  performing  the  voyage  to 
and  from  Cincinnati  to  Pittsburgh  once  in  every  four 
tveeks.  & 

"  Two  boats,  in  addition  to  the  above  will  shortly  be 
completed  and  regulated  in  such  a  manner  that  one  boat 
of  the  four  will  set  out  weekly  from  Cincinnati  to  Pitts- 
burgh, and  return  in  like  maj^flfe 

"  The  proprietor  of  thes^|  (F,  having  maturely  con- 
sidered the  many  inconveniences  and  dangers  incident  to 
the  common  method  hitherto  adopted  of  navigating  the 
Ohio,  and  being  influenced  by  a  love  of  philanthropy  and 
a  desire  of  being  serviceable  to  the  Public,  has  taken 
great  pains  to  render  the  accommodations  on  board  the 
boats  as  agreeable  and  convenient  as  they  could  possiblv 
be  made. 

"  No  danger  need  be  apprehended  from  the  enemy,  as 
every  person  on  board  will  be  under  cover  made  proof 
against  rifle  or  musket  balls,  and  convenient  port  holes 
for  firing  out  of.  Each  of  the  boats  are  armed  with  six 
pieces  carrying  a  pound  ball ;  also  a  number  of  good  mus- 
kets, and  amply  supplied  with  plenty  of  ammunition  : 
strongly  manned  with  choice  hands,  and  the  masters  of 
approved  knowledge. 

"  A  separate  cabin  from  that  designed  for  the  men,  is  par- 
titioned off  in  each  boat  for  accommodating*  ladies  on  their 
passage.  Conveniences  are  constructed  on  board  each 
boat,  so  as  to  render  landing  unnecessary,  as  it  might,  at 
times,  be  attended  with  danger. 

"  Rules  and  Regulations  for  maintaining  order  on  board, 
and  for  the  good  management  of  the  boats,  and  tables  ac- 
curately calculated  for  the  rates  of  freightage,  for  pas- 
sengers and  carriage  of  letters  to  and  from  Cincinnati  to 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS.  225 

Pittsburgh  ;  also  a  table  of  the  exact  time  of  the  arrival 
and  departure  to  and  from  tht-  differed  places  on  the  Ohio, 
between  Cincinnati  and  Pittsburgh*  may  be  seen  on 
board  each  boat  and  at  the  printing  office  in  Cincinnati. 
Passengers  will  be  supplied  with  provisions  and  liquors 
of  all  kinds  of  the  first  quality,  at  the  most  reasonable 
rates  possible.  Persons  desirous  of  working  their  pas- 
sage, will  be  admitted  on  finding  themselves;  subject, 
however,  to  the  same  order  and  directions  from  the  mas- 
ter of  the  boats  as  the  rest  of  the  working  hands  of  the 
boat's  crew.  ^^ 

"  An  Office  of  Insnr$$k\>  will  be  kept  at  Cincinnati, 
Limestone,  and  Pittsburgh  where  persons  desirous  of 
having  their  property  insured  may  apply.  The  rates  of 
insurance  will  be  moderate." 

Such  were  the  vessels  in  which  the  whole  trade  of  the 
western  rivers  was  carried  on,  previous  to  the  year  1811. 
Nor  was  the  transportation  by  land  farther  advanced  in 
improvement.     The  few  roads  that  crossed  the  mountains 
were  so  wretchedly  bad  that  wagons  toiled  over  them 
with  great  difficulty,  and  a  large  portion  of  the  merchan- 
dise was  carried  on  the  backs  of  horses.     Even  that  was 
considered  a  triumphant  result  of  enterprise,  and  a  rapid 
advance  in  improvement ;  for  a  few  years  only  had  then 
advanced,  since  Mr.  Brown,  a  delegate  from  Kentucky, 
in  Congress,  had  been  smiled  at  as  a  visionary,  by  the 
members  of  that  august  body,  for  asking  the  establish- 
ment of  a  mail  to  Pittsburgh,  to  be  carried  on  horseback 
once  in   two  weeks.     He  was  told  that  such  a  mail  was 
not  needed,  that  it  probably  would  never  be  required,  and 
that  the  obstacles  of  the  road  were  insuperable.     That 
venerable  patriot  has  lived  to  see  the  establishment  of  two 
daily  mails  on  the  same  route ;  while  the  canals,  the  rail- 
ways, and  the   turnpikes  that  lead  to  the  west,  have  ren- 
dered it  accessible,  with  ease  and  safety,  to  every  species 
of  vehicle. 


V 


226  WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 

We  proceed  now  to  give  some  account  of  the  steam- 
boat navigation  of  these  rivers,  and  shall  first  speak  of 
some  early  attempts  towards  the  accomplishment  of  this 
object. 

Mr.  James  Rumsey,  of  Berkeley  county,  Virginia,  in- 
vented a  plan  for  propelling  boats  by  steam  as  early  as 
1782,  and  in  1784  obtained  from  the  legislature  of  Vir 
ginia,  the  exclusive  right  of  navigating  her  waters  with 
such  boats.  In  1788,  he  published  his  project,  in  general 
terms,  together  with  numerous  certificates  from  the  most 
respectable  characters  in  \^^rinia,  among  whom  was 
General  Washington,  all  of"  Pen  assert,  that  a  steam- 
boat was  actually  constructed,  which  moved  with  half  her 
burthen  on  board,  at  the  rate  of  three  or  four  miles  an 
hour,  against  the  current  of  the  Potomac,  although  the 
machinery  was  in  a  very  imperfect  state.  In  1819,  his 
brother,  Dr.  Rumsey,  of  Kentucky,  built  a  boat  after  this 
model ;  and  at  that  time  it  was  said  that  the  Rumsey  plan 
united  simplicity,  strength,  economy,  and  lightness,  in  a 
degree  far  superior  to  any  other.  The  more  complex 
machinery  of  Bolton  and  Watt,  Fulton,  and  Evans,  have 
however  been  more  successful. 

In  1785,  John  Fitch,  a  watchmaker  in  Philadelphia, 
conceived  the  design  of  propelling  a  boat  by  steam.  He 
was  both  poor  and  illiterate,  and  many  difficulties  oc- 
curred, to  frustrate  every  attempt  which  he  made,  to  try 
the  practicability  of  his  invention.  He  applied  to  Con- 
gress for  assistance,  but  was  refused  ;  and  then  offered  his 
invention  to  the  Spanish  government,  to  be  used  in  the 
navigation  of  the  Mississippi,  but  without  any  better  suc- 
cess. At  length,  a  company  was  formed,  and  funds  sub- 
scribed, for  the  building  of  a  steamboat,  and  in  the  year 
1788,  his  vessel  was  launched  on  the  Delaware.  Many 
crowded  to  see  and  ridicule  the  novel,  and  as  they  sup- 
posed, the  chimerical  experiment. 

It  seemed  that  the  idea  of  wheels  had  not  occurred  to 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS.  227 

Mr.  Fitch  ;  but  instead  of  them,  oars  were  used,  which 
worked  in  frames,  He  was  confident  of  success ;  and 
when  the  boat  was  ready  for  the  trial,  she  started  off  in 
good  style  for  Burlington.  Those  who  had  sneered,  be- 
gan to  stare,  and  they  who  had  smiled  in  derision,  looked 
ve.  Away  went  the  boat,  and  the  happy  inventor  tri- 
umphed over  the  scepticism  of  an  unbelieving  public. 
The  boat  performed  her  trip  to  Burlington,  a  distance  of 
twenty  miles  ;  but  unfortunately  burst  her  boiler  in  round- 
ing to  the  wharf  at  that  place,  and  the  next  tide  floated  her 
back  to  the  city.  Fitch  persevered,  and  with  great  diffi- 
culty procured  another  boJfcr.  After  some  time,  the  boat 
performed  another  trip  to  Burlington  and  Trenton,  and 
returned  in  the  same  day.  She  is  said  to  have  moved  at 
the  rate  of  eight  miles  an  hour ;  but  something  was  con- 
tinually breaking,  and  the  unhappy  projector  only  con- 
quered one  difficulty  to  encounter  another.  Perhaps  this 
was  not  owing  to  any  defect  in  his  plans,  but  to  the  low 
state  of  the  arts  at  that  time,  and  the  difficulty  of  getting 
such  complex  machinery  made  with  proper  exactness. 
Fitch  became  embarrassed  with  debt,  and  was  obliged  to 
abandon  the  invention,  after  having  satisfied  himself  of  its 
practicability. 

This  ingenious  man,  who  was  probably  the  first  in- 
ventor of  the  steamboat,  wrote  three  volumes,  which  he 
deposited  in  manuscript,  sealed  up,  in  the  Philadelphia 
library,  to  be  opened  thirty  years  after  his  death.  When, 
or  why,  he  came  to  the  west  we  have  not  learned  ;  but  it 
is  recorded  of  him,  that  he  died  and  was  buried  near  the 
Ohio.  His  three  volumes  were  opened  about  five  years 
ago,  and  were  found  to  contain  his  speculations  on  me- 
chanics. He  details  his  embarrassments  and  disappoint- 
ments, with  a  feeling  which  shows  how  ardently  he  de- 
sired success,  and  which  wins  for  him  the  sympathy  of 
those  who  have  heart  enough  to  mourn  over  the  blighted 

prospects  of  genius.      He  confidently  predicts  the  future 

# 


228  WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 

success  of  the  plan,  which  in  his  hands,  failed  only  for 
the  want  of  pecuniary  means.  He  prophesies  that  in  less 
than  a  century,  we  shall  see  our  western  rivers  swarming 
with  steamboats  ;  and  expresses  a  wish  to  be  buried  on 
the  shores  of  the  Ohio,  where  the  song  of  the  boatman 
may  enliven  the  stillness  of  his  resting  place,  and  the 
music  of  the  steam  engine  soothe  his  spirit.  What  an 
idea !  Yet  how  natural  to  the  mind  of  an  ardent  projec- 
tor, whose  whole  life  had  been  devoted  to  one  darling 
object,  which  it  was  not  his  destiny  to  accomplish  !  And 
how  touching  is  the  sentiment  found  in  one  of  his  jour- 
nals : — "  the  day  will  come^hen  some  more  powerful 
man,  will  get  fame  and  riches  from  my  invention  ;  but 
nobody  will  believe  that  poor  John  Fitch  can  do  any 
thing  worthy  of  attention."  In  less  than  thirty  years  after 
his  death,  his  predictions  were  verified.  He  must  have 
died  about  the  year  1799. 

"  The  first  steam  boat  built  on  the  western  waters," 
says  a  writer  in  the  Western  Monthly  Magazine,  "  was 
the  Orleans,  built  at  Pittsburgh  in  1811  ;  there  is  no  ac- 
count of  more  than  seven  or  eight  built  previously  to  1817  ; 
from  that  period  they  have  been  rapidly  increasing  in 
number,  character,  model,  and  style  of  workmanship, 
until  1825,  when  two  or  three  boats  built  about  that  peri- 
od were  declared  by  common  consent  to  be  the  finest  in 
the  world.  Since  that  time,  we  are  informed,  that  some 
of  the  New  York  and  Chesapeake  boats,  rival  and  pro- 
bably surpass  us,  in  richness  and  beauty  of  internal 
decoration.  As  late  as  1816,  the  practicability  of  navigat- 
ing the  Ohio  with  steamboats,  was  esteemed  doubtful ; 
none  but  the  most  sanguine  augured  favorably.  The 
writer  of  this  well  remembers  that  in  1816,  observing  in 
company  with  a  number  of  gentlemen,  the  long  struggles  of 
a  stern  wheel  boat  to  ascend  Horse-tail  ripple  (five  miles  be- 
low Pittsburgh)  it  was  the  unanimous  opinion,  that '  such 
a  contrivance '  might  conquer  the  difficulties  of  the  Mis- 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS.  229 

sissippi,  as  high  as  Nacthez,  but  that  we  of  the  Ohio  must 
wait  for  some  'more  happy  century  of  inventions.'  " 

We  can  add  another  anecdote  to  that  of  our  friend 
which  we  have  quoted.  About  the  time  thai  Fulton  was 
building  his  first  boat  at  Pittsburgh,  he  traveled  across 
the  mountains  in  a  stage,  in  company  with  several  young 
gentlemen  from  Kentucky.  His  mind  was  teeming  with 
those  projects,  the  successful  accomplishment  of  which 
has  since  rendered  his  name  so  illustrious — and  his  con- 
versation turned  chiefly  upon  steam,  steamboats,  and 
facilities  for  transportation.  Upon  these  subjects  he 
spoke  frankly,  and  his  incredulous  companions,  much  as 
they  respected  the  genius  of  the  projector,  were  greatly 
amused  at  what  they  considered  the  extravagance  of  his 
expectations.  As  the  journey  lasted  several  days,  and 
the  party  <rrew  familiar  with  each  other,  they  ventured  to 
jest  with  Mr.  Fulton,  by  asking  if  he  could  do  this,  and 
that  by  steam :  and  a  hearty  laugh  succeeded  whenever 
the  single-minded  and  direct  inventor,  asserted  the  power 
of  his  favorite  element.  At  length,  in  the  course  of  some 
conversation  on  the  almost  impassable  nature  of  the  moun- 
tains, over  which  they  were  dragged  with  great  toil,  upon 
roads  scarcely  practicable  for  wheels,  Mr.  Fulton  remark- 
ed, "  the  day  will  come,  gentlemen — I  may  not  live  to 
see  it,  but  some  of  you  who  are  younger,  probably  will — 
when  carriages  will  be  drawn  over  these  mountains  by 
steam  engines,  at  a  rate  more  rapid  than  that  of  a  stage 
upon  the  smoothest  turnpike."  The  apparent  absurdity 
of  this  prediction,  together  with  the  gravity  with  which 
it  was  uttered,  excited  the  most  obstreperous  mirth  in  this 
laughter  loving  company,  who  roared,  shouted,  and  clap- 
ped their  hands,  in  the  excess  of  their  merry  excitement. 
This  anecdote  was  repeated  to  us  by  one  of  that  party ; 
who  two  years  ago,  on  finding  himself  rapidly  receding 
from  Baltimore  in  a  rail  road  car,  recollected  the  predic- 
tion of  Fulton,  made  twenty  years  before. 

U 


230  WESTERN"    STEAMBOATS. 

The  improvement  in  steamboats  has  been  so  rapid,  and 
the  incidents  attending  them  so  interesting,  that  we 
shall,  at  the  hazard  of  rendering  the  subject  tedious,  give 
a  particular  history  of  a  few  of  the  earliest  that  were 
built. 

1.  The  Orleans,  400  tons,  the  first  boat  built  at  Pitts- 
burgh, was  owned  and  constructed  by  Mr.  Fulton.  Sailed 
from  Pittsburgh  in  December  1812,  and  arrived  at  New 
Orleans  about  the  24th  of  the  same  month.  She  continu- 
ed to  run  between  New  Orleans  and  Natchez,  making 
her  voyages  to  average  17  days,  and  was  wrecked  near 
Baton  Rouge,  in  1813  or  14,  "by  striking  a  snag,  on  an 
upward  bound  passage. 

2.  The  Co?7iet,  25  tons,  owned  by  Samuel  Smith  ; 
built  at  Pittsburgh  by  D.  French  ;  stern  wheel,  and  vi- 
brating cylinder,  on  French's  patent,  granted  in  1809. 
Made  a  voyage  to  Louisville  in  the  summer  of  1813,  des- 
cended to  New  Orleans  in  the  spring  of  1814,  made  two 
voyages  thence  to  Natchez,  and  was  sold, — and  the  engine 
put  up  in  a  cotton  gin. 

3.  The  Vesuvius,  340  tons,  built  at  Pittsburgh,  by  Mr. 
Fulton,  and  owned  by  a  company  at  New  York  and  New 
Orleans.  Sailed  for  New  Orleans  in  the  spring  of  1814, 
commanded  by  Captain  Frank  Ogden.  She  sailed  from 
New  Orleans  for  Louisville,  about  the  1st  of  June  following; 
grounded  on  a  sand  bar  700  miles  up  the  Mississippi,  where 
she  lay  until  the  3d  of  December  following,  when  the  river 
rose,  and  floated  her  off.  She  returned  to  New  Orleans, 
where  she  run  aground  a  second  time  on  the  Batture, 
where  she  remained  until  March  1st,  when  a  rise  of  water 
set  her  afloat.  She  was  then  employed,  some  months, 
between  New  Orleans  and  Natchez,  under  the  command 
of  Captain  Clemment,  who  was  succeeded  by  Captain 
John  De  Hart ;  shortly  after,  she  took  fire  near  the  city 
of  New  Orleans  and  burned  to  the  water's  edge,  having 
a  valuable    cargo   on   board.     Her  hull  was  afterwards 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS.  231 

raised  and  built  upon,  at  New  Orleans.  She  was  since 
in  the  Louisville  trade,  was  sold  to  a  company  at  Nateln-z, 
and  condemned  in  1819. 

4.  The  Kntcrpri.se,  45  tons,  built  at  Brownsville,  Pa. 
on  the  Monongahela,  by  Daniel  French,  under  his  patent, 
and  owned  by  a  company  at  that  place.  She  made  two 
voyages  to  Louisville  in  the  summer  of  1814,  under  the 
command  of  Captain  J.  Gregg.  On  the  1st  December, 
she  took  in  a  cargo  of  ordnance  stores  at  Pittsburgh,  and 
sailed  for  New  Orleans,  commanded  by  Captain  Henry 
M.  Shreve,  and  arrived  at  New  Orleans  on  the  14th  of 
the  same  month.  She  was  then  despatched  up  the  river 
in  search  of  two  keel  boats,  laden  with  small  arms,  for 
General  Jackson's  army,  which  had  been  delayed  on  the 
way ;  and  returned  with  the  cargoes  of  these  alter  an  ab- 
sence of  six  days  and  a  half,  in  which  time  she  ran  624 
miles.  For  some  time  after,  she  was  actively  engaged 
in  transporting  troops.  She  made  one  voyage  to  the 
gulf  of  Mexico  as  a  cartel,  one  voyage  to  the  rapids  of 
Red  river  with  troops,  and  nine  voyages  to  Natchez.  She 
set  out  for  Pittsburgh  on  the  6th  of  May  1817,  and  arrived 
at  Shippingsport,  (Louisville)  on  the  30th,  25  days  out, 
being  the  first  steamboat  that  ever  arrived  at  that  port 
from  New  Orleans.  The  citizens  of  Louisville  gave  a 
public  dinner  to  Captain  Shreve  for  having  accomplished 
in  twenty  five  days,  a  trip,  which  previous  to  that  time 
had  never  been  accomplished,  by  the  barges  and  keel 
boats,  in  less  than  three  months.  The  Enterprise  pro- 
ceeded to  Pittsburgh,  the  command  was  then  given  to 
Captain  D.  Worley,  who  lost  her  in  Rock  Harbour, 
Shippinsrsport. 

5.  The  JFAna,  340  tons,  built  at  Pittsburgh,  and  owned 
by  the  same  company  as  the  Vesuvius.  Sailed  from 
Pittsburgh  for  New  Orleans  in  March  1815,  under  the 
command  of  Captain  A.  Gale,  made  the  voyage,  and  then 
went  into  the  Natchez  trade — was  commanded  by  I  'aptain 


232  WESTERN*    STEAMBOATS. 

R.  De  Hart  who  made  six  voyages  in  her,  and  then  again 
by  Captain  Gale. 

6.  The  Despatch,  25  tons,  built  at  Brownsville  in  1817, 
on  French's  patent,  and  owned  by  the  same  company  as 
the  Enterprise.  She  made  several  voyages  from  Pitts- 
burgh to  Louisville,  and  one  from  New  Orleans  to  Ship- 
pingsport,  where  she  became  a  wreck  in  1820,  and  her 
engine  was  taken  out. 

7.  The  Buffaloe,  300  tons,  was  built  at  Pittsburgh  by 
Mr.  Latrobe. 

8.  The  James  Monroe,  120  tons,  was  built  at  Pitts- 
burgh by  Mr.  Latrobe. 

9.  The  Washington,  400  tons,  built  at  Wheeling; 
contracted  and  part  owned  by  Captain  H.  M.  Shreve  ; 
her  engine  was  made  at  Brownsville  under  the  immediate 
direction  of  Captain  Shreve.  Her  boilers  were  on  the 
upper  deck,  and  she  was  the  first  boat  on  that  plan,  since 
so  generally  in  use.  The  Washington  crossed  the  Falls, 
September  1816,  under  Captain  Shreve,  went  to  New 
Orleans,  and  returned  to  Louisville  in  the  winter.  In 
March  1817  she  -went  from  Louisville  to  New  Orleans 
and  returned  in  45  days.  This  was  the  trip  that  first 
convinced  the  despairing  public  that  steamboat  naviga- 
tion would  succeed  on  the  western  waters. 

10.  The  Franklin,  125  tons,  built  at  Pittsburgh  by 
Messrs.  Shiras  and  Cromwell  ;  engine  made  by  George 
Evans.  She  sailed  from  Pittsburgh  in  December  1816, 
was  sold  at  New  Orleans,  went  into  the  Louisville  and 
St.  Louis  trade,  and  was  sunk  near  St.  Genevieve  in  1819. 

11.  The  Oliver  Evans,  75  tons,  was  built  at  Pitts- 
burgh by  George  Evans  ;  engine,  his  patent.  Left  Pitts- 
burgh, December  1816,  for  New  Orleans.  Burst  one  of 
her  boilers  in  April  1817,  at  Point  Coupee,  by  which 
eleven  men,  chiefly  passengers,  were  killed.  Never  did 
much  business  afterwards. 

12.  The  Harriet,  40  tons,  built  at  Pittsburgh,  owned 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS.  233 

and  constructed  by  Mr.  Armstrong  of  Williamsport  Pa. 
She  sailed  from  Pittsburgh,  October  1810,  for  New  Or- 
leans, crossed  the  Falls  in  .March  1817,  made  OBOYOyage 
to  New  Orleans,  and  has  since  been  running  betwei  n 
that  place  and  the  Muscle  shoals. 

We  shall  not  proceed  any  further  with  this  list,  as  it 
would  occupy  more  room  than  could  be  usefully  devoted 
to  such  a  purpose.  Our  object  in  giving  the  particulars 
of  the  history  of  a  few  of  the  first  boats,  in  their  regular 
order,  is  to  show  the  progress  that  was  made  in  the  first 
years  of  the  introduction  of  steamboats,  and  the  difficul- 
ties which  frowned  upon  the  enterprise.  The  first  ad- 
vance was  slow,  and  the  prospects  very  discouraging. 
The  fourth  boat  that  descended  the  river,  was  the  first  to 
reascend  as  far  as  Louisville,  and  even  then  it  was  con- 
sidered doubtful  whether  steamboats  could  be  rendered 
useful  as  a  mode  of  navigation  for  the  ascending  trade. 
It  was  not  until  1810,  when  the  boat  which  was  about 
the  ninth  in  the  order  of  building,  having  been  conducted 
from  Louisville  to  New  Orleans  and  back  in  45  days,  by 
Captain  Henry  M.  Shreve,  the  question  of  practicability 
was  considered  as  settled. 

Many  of  the  obstacles  which  impeded  the  rapid  advance 
of  steamboat  navigation  were  such  as  were  incident  to 
an  infant  and  imperfect  state  of  the  art  of  constructing 
both  boats  and  engines  ;  while  others  were  inseparable 
from  the  condition  of  the  country.  In  accounting  for  the 
length  of  the  earliest  voyages,  something  must  be  allowed 
to  both  these  classes  of  causes,  and  among  the  latter  may 
be  mentioned  the  important  facts,  that  the  shores  of  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  were  then  comparatively  unsettled, 
fuel  was  not  an  article  of  traffic,  but  was  procured  from 
the  growing  forest  by  the  crews  of  the  boats,  and  used  in 
its  green  state  ;  while  accidental  injuries  were  repaired 
with  equal  inconvenience  and  delay. 

The  General  Pike  built  at  Cincinnati  in  1818,  and  in* 

v2 


234  WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 

tended  to  ply  as  a  packet  between  Maysville,  Cincinnati, 
and  Louisville,  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  steamboat 
constructed  on  the  western  waters  for  the  exclusive  con- 
venience of  passengers.  Her  accommodations  were 
ample,  her  apartments  spacious  and  superbly  furnished, 
and  her  machinery  of  superior  mechanism.  She  measur- 
ed 100  feet  keel,  25  feet  beam,  and  drew  only  3  feet  3 
inches  water.  The  length  of  her  cabin  was  40  feet,  the 
breadth  25  feet,  in  addition  to  which  were  fourteen  state 
rooms.  The  boats  previously  built  had  been  intended 
solely  for  the  transportation  of  merchandise  ;  these  ob- 
jects have  subsequently  been  successfully  united. 

The  Calhoun,  80  tons,  built  at  Frankfort  in  1818,  the 
Expedition,  120  tons,  and  the  Independence,  50  tons, — 
the  two  last  built  at  Pittsburgh — were  constructed  for  the 
exploration  of  the  Missouri  river,  in  what  was  popularly 
termed  the  Yellow  Stone  Expedition,  projected  by  Mr. 
Calhoun,  while  secretary  of  war.  The  Independence 
was  the  first  steamboat  that  ascended  the  powerful  cur- 
rent of  the  Missouri. 

The  Post  Boy,  200  tons,  built  at  New  Albany,  by 
Captain  Shreve,  and  others,  in  1819,  was  intended  for 
the  conveyance  of  the  mail  between  Louisville  and  New 
Orleans,  under  an  act  of  congress  passed  in  March  1819. 
This  was  the  first  attempt  on  the  western  waters  to  carry 
the  mail  in  steamboats. 

The  Western  Engineer,  was  built  near  Pittsburgh  in 
1818  under  the  direction  of  Major  S.  H.  Long,  of  the 
United  States  Topographical  Engineers,  for  the  expedi- 
tion of  discovery  to  the  sources  of  the  Missouri,  and  the 
Rocky  mountains,  which  was  afterwards  so  honorably 
accomplished  by  himself  and  his  companions.  This  boat 
ascended  as  high  as  the  Council  Bluffs,  about  650  miles 
above  St.  Louis,  and  was  the  first  steamboat,  that  reached 
that  point. 

For  further  particulars  with  regard  to  individual  boats, 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS.  235 

we  refer  to  copious  alphabetical  tables,  which  will  accom- 
pany these  notes.  We  proceed  to  present  some  calcula- 
tions which  we  have  collected  from  different,  but  authentic 
sources. 

The  following  remarks  are  from  the  pen  of  Morgan 
Neville,  Esq.  and  were  written  in  1829. 

"  The  average  cost  of  a  steamboat  is  estimated  at  one 
hundred  dollars  per  ton  ;  the  repairs  made  during  the  ex- 
istence of  a  boat,  amount  to  one  half  the  first  cost.  The 
average  duration  of  a  boat  has  hitherto  been  about  four 
years ;  of  those  built  of  locust,  lately,  the  period  will 
probably  be  two  years  longer.  The  amount  of  expendi- 
ture in  this  branch  of  business  on  the  western  waters, 
then,  for  the  last  ten  years,  will  in  some  measure  be 
shown  by  the  following  calculation  : 

56,000  tons,  costing  100  dollars  per  ton,  amount  to  $5,600,000 
Repairs  on  the  same,         -----         2,800,000 

Expending  in  building  and  repairing  in  ten  years,  $8,400,000 
11  The  annual  expenditure  of  steamboats  is  very  diffi- 
cult to  be  arrived  at :  the  importance  of  this  expenditure 
however,  to  the  towns  on  our  rivers,  and  to  the  whole 
extent  of  country  running  along  their  shores,  may  be 
estimated  from  the  following  calculation  of  the  item  of 
fuel  alone,  for  one  year — take  the  present  year,  1829. 
We  have  now  in  operation  above  200  boats,  the  tonnage 
of  which  may  be  stated  at  35,000  tons. 

"  It  is  calculated  that  the  business  of  each  year  lasts 
eight  months  ;  deduct  one  fourth  for  the  time  lost  in  port, 
and  we  have  six  months,  or  180  days,  of  running  time. 
Each  boat  is  presumed  to  consume  one  cord  of  wood,  for 
every  12  tons,  every  24  hours. 

The  35,000  tons  then  consume  per  day,         -  2,917  cords. 

Or,  during  the  six  months,  -         -  525,060  cords. 

"The  price  of  wood  varies  from  one  dollar  and  a  half, 

to  five  dollars  per  cord ;  a  fair  average  would  place  it  at 

$2.25  per  cord.     This  makes  the  expenditure  for  fuel 


236  WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 

alone,  on  the  banks  of  our  rivers,  $1,181,385,  for  this 
year.  The  other  expenditures,  while  running,  are  calcu- 
lated by  the  most  experienced  and  intelligent  owners,  to 
be  equal  to  $1,300,000,  which  gives  the  total  expenditure 
for  1829  at  $2,481,385. 

"  This  calculation  and  estimate,  then,  which  are  both 
made  lower  than  the  facts  justify,  present  these  results  : 

The  amount  of  first  cost  of  steamboats,  since  1817,  $5,600,000 
Repairs  on  the  same, 2,800,000 

Total  amount  of  expenditure,  produced  by  the  "^ 

introduction  of  steamboats,  for  building  and  C      $8,400,000 
repairs, J 

"  We  cannot  better  illustrate  the  magnitude  of  the 
change  in  every  thing  connected  with  western  commerce 
and  navigation,  than  by  contrasting  the  foregoing  state- 
ment, with  the  situation  of  things  at  the  time  of  the  adop- 
tion of  steam  transportation,  say  in  1817.  About  twenty 
barges,  averaging  100  tons  each,  comprised  the  whole  of 
the  commercial  facilities  for  transporting  merchandise 
from  New  Orleans  to  the  "  Upper  country ;"  each  of 
these  performed  one  trip  down  and  up  again  to  Louisville 
and  Cincinnati  within  the  year.  The  number  of  keel 
boats  employed  in  the  upper  Ohio,  cannot  be  ascertained, 
but  it  is  presumed  that  150  is  a  sufficiently  large  calcula- 
tion to  embrace  the  whole  number.  These  averaged  30 
tons  each,  and  employed  one  month  to  make  the  voyage 
from  Louisville  to  Pittsburgh,  while  the  more  dignified 
barge  of  the  Mississippi  made  her  trip  in  the  space  of  100 
days,  if  no  extraordinary  accident  happened,  to  check  her 
progress.  Not  a  dollar  was  expended  for  wood,  in  a 
distance  of  2,000  miles,  and  the  dweller  on  the  banks  of 
the  Ohio  thought  himself  lucky  if  the  reckless  boatmen 
would  give  the  smallest  trifle  for  the  eggs  and  chickens 
which  formed  almost  the  only  saleable  articles  on  a  soil 
whose  only  fault  is  its  too  great  fertility.  Such  was  the 
case  twelve  years  since.     The    Mississippi   boats  now 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS.  237 

make  five  or  six  trips  within  the  year,  and  are  enabled, 
if  necessary,  within  that  period  to  afford  to  that  trade 
135,000  tons.  Eight  or  nine  days  are  sufficient  on  the 
upper  Ohio,  to  perform  the  trip  from  Louisville  to  Pitts- 
burgh and  back.  In  short,  if  steam  has  not  realized  the 
hyperbole  of  the  poet  in  '  annihilating  time  and  space,'  it 
has  produced  results  scarcely  surpassed  by  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  art  of  printing." 

From  another  valuable  article  of  the  same  gentleman 
we  copy  the  following  very  interesting  remarks  : 

"  On  the  first  day  of  January,  1834,  an  official  list  of 
steamboats  from  an  authentic  source,  gives  the  whole 
number  of  two  hundred  and  thirty,  then  in  existence, 
whose  aggregate  amount  of  tonnage  is  equal  to  about 
thirty-nine  thousand  tons.  Allowing  the  cost  of  building 
at  a  rate  much  lower  than  the  rule  adopted  three  years 
since,  the  capital  now  invested  in  this  stock  will  exceed 
three  millions  of  dollars.  The  expense  of  running  may 
be  put  down  nearly  as  contained  in  the  following  scale  : 

60  boats  over  200  tons,  180  running  days  at 

$140  per  day, $1,512,000  00 

70  boats  from  120  tons  to  200,  240  running 

days,  $90  dollars  per  day,  -  -  -  1,512,000  00 
100  boats  under  120  tons,  270  running  days, 

$60  per  day, 1,620,000  00 

Total  yearly  expenses,         $4,644,000  00 
"  This  sum  may  be  reduced  to  the  different  items  pro- 
ducing it  in  the  following  proportions,  viz  : 

For  wasres,  36  per  cent.,  equal  to         -  -         $1,671,840  00 

"    wood,  30  per  cent.,  equal  to     -  1,393,200  00 

"    provisions,  18  percent.,  equal  to  -         -     835,920  00 

"    contingencies,  16  per  cent.,  equal  to  -         743,040  00 

"  This  result  is  truly  striking  to  those  who  were  ac- 
customed to  the  state  of  things  on  our  rivers  within  twen- 
ty years.  The  difference  in  the  amount  of  wages  paid, 
is  in  itself  very  considerable  ;  but  the  item  of  fuel  is  one 
created  exclusively  by  steamboats  ;  and  when  it  is  con- 


238  WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 

sidered  that  nearly  one  million  and  a  half  is  expended 
every  year,  at  a  few  points  on  the  Mississippi  valley,  it 
presents  a  vast  field  for  speculation.  The  immense  forests 
of  beech  and  other  timber  unfit  for  agricultural  purposes, 
were,  before,  not  only  useless,  but  an  obstacle  to  the  rug- 
ged farmer,  who  had  to  remove  them  before  he  could 
sow  and  reap.  The  steamboat,  with  something  like  magi- 
cal influence,  has  converted  them  into  objects  of  rapidly 
increasing  value.  He  no  longer  looks  with  despondence 
on  the  denseness  of  trees,  and  only  regrets  that  so  many 
have  already  been  given  to  the  flames,  or  cast  on  the 
bosom  of  the  stream  before  him. 

"  At  the  present  period,  the  steamboats  may  be  consider- 
ed as  plying  as  follows,  viz : 

25  over  200  tons,  between  Louisville,  New  Orleans, 
and  Cincinnati,  measurino- 
7  between  Nashville  and  New  Orleans,  measuring 
4  between  Florence  and  New  Orleans, 
4  in  the  St.  Louis  trade,  - 

7  in  the  cotton  trade,  - 

57  boats  not  in  established  trades,  from  120  to  200 
tons,         ---__.- 

The  balance  under  120  tons  in  various  trades, 

39,000 

"  In  the  New  Orleans  and  Louisville  trade,  the  boats 
over  two  hundred  tons  make  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
trips  in  prosperous  seasons  ;  those  of  smaller  size,  make 
from  fifty  to  sixty  trips.  But  to  go  into  an  estimate  of 
the  number  of  voyages  made  by  the  boats  in  the  different 
trades  is  impossible,  because  no  regular  data  are  furnished, 
and  the  result  depends  upon  a  variety  of  contingencies." 

"  Previous  to  1817,  about  20  barges,  afforded  the  only 
facilities  for  transporting  merchandise  from  New  Orleans 
to  Louisville  and  Cincinnati.  These,  making  but  one  trip 
in  the  year,  gave  the  means  of  bringing  up  only  two  thou- 
sand tons.  The  present  tonnage  in  this  trade  exclusively, 
having  been  stated  to  be  8484  tons,  gives  the  amount  em- 


8484 

tons. 

y    2585 

it 

1617 

u 

1002 

u 

■  2016 

A 

(f 

U 

8641 

(1 

14655 

u 

WESTERN    STEAMBOATS.  239 

ployed,  calculating  one  hundred  and  fifty  trips  in  the 
season,  to  be  50,904  tons  ;  a  cause  capable  of  producing 
a  revolution  in  sixteen  years  hardly  equalled  in  the  an- 
nals of  history.  The  effects  upon  western  commerce  have 
been  immense.  The  moral  changes  alone  which  are  felt 
throughout  the  west  on  prices  is  almost  incalculable  :  the 
imported  article  has  fallen  in  a  ratio  equal  to  the  increased 
price  of  western  products.  In  looking  back  at  the  old 
means  of  transportation,  we  cannot  conceive  how  the  pres- 
ent demand  and  consumption  could  have  been  supplied  by 
them." 

"  To  those  who  have  been  acquainted  with  the  early 
mercantile  history  of  our  country,  when  it  was  no  uncom- 
mon thing  for  a  party  of  merchants  to  be  detained  in  Pitts- 
burgh from  six  weeks  to  two  months,  by  low  water,  or 
ice,  the  existing  state  of  things  is  truly  gratifying.  The 
old  price  of  carriage  of  goods  from  the  Atlantic  seaboard 
to  Pittsburgh,  was  long  estimated  at  from  five  to  eight 
dollars  per  hundred  pounds.  We  have  instances  in  the 
last  five  years,  of  merchandise  being  delivered  at  the 
wharf  of  Cincinnati  for  one  dollar  per  hundred  pounds, 
from  Philadelphia,  by  way  of  New  Orleans." 

"  It  may  not  be  useless  or  uninteresting  to  give  an  idea 
of  the  mortality  among  steamboats  in  a  given  time.  It  is 
not  pretended  that  any  decided  inference  can  be  drawn 
from  this  statement,  or  that  the  facts  go  to  establish  any 
fixed  rule.  But  under  the  present  situation  of  steamboat 
discipline  and  regulation  a  tolerably  fair  conclusion  can  be 
drawn  from  it.  Taking  the  period  then  of  two  years, 
from  the  fall  of  1831  till  that  of  1833,  we  have  a  list  of 
boats  gone  out  of  service,  of  sixty  six:  of  these  fifteen 
were  abandoned,  as  unfit  for  service  ;  seven  were  lost  by 
ice  ;  fifteen  were  burnt ;  twenty  four  magged,  and  five 
destroyed  by  being  struck  by  other  boats.  Deducting  the 
fifteen  boats  abandoned  as  unsea worthy,  we  have  fifty 
one  lost  by  accidents  peculiar  to  the  trade.     In  number 


240  WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 

this  proportion  is  over  twelve  per  cent,  per  annum ;  in  ton- 
nage the  loss  is  upwards  of  ten  per  cent.  Amount  snag- 
ged, 3721  tons;  amount  burned  2330  tons. 

A  curious  fact  was  ascertained  by  a  committee  of  gentle- 
men, who  were  appointed  a  few  years  ago,  by  a  number 
of  steamboat  owners,  to  investigate  the  whole  subject. 
They  satisfied  themselves,  that  although  the  benefits  con- 
ferred on  our  country,  by  steam  navigation,  were  incalcu- 
lable, the  stock  invested  in  boats,  was,  as  a  general  rule, 
a  losing  investment.  In  a  few  cases  owing  to  fortuitous 
events,  or  to  the  exercise  of  more  than  usual  prudence, 
money  has  been  made  :  but  the  instances  are  so  few  as 
not  to  affect  the  rule.  One  gentleman,  who  has  been  en- 
gaged for  years  in  the  ownership  of  steamboats,  and  has 
been  peculiarly  fortunate,  in  not  meeting  with  any  loss  by 
accident,  assured  the  writer,  that  his  aggregate  gain  during 
the  whole  series  of  years,  was  only  about  six  per  cent, 
per  year,  on  the  capital  invested.  These  facts  go  far  to- 
wards accounting  for  the  enormous  proportion  of  accidents 
and  losses  which  occur  upon  our  rivers.  A  few  instances, 
in  which  large  profits  were  realised,  induced  a  great  num- 
ber of  individuals  to  embark  in  this  business,  and  the  ton- 
nage has  always  been  greater  than  the  trade  demanded. 
The  accidents,  which  are  almost  wholly  the  result  of  bad 
management,  were  set  down  as  among  the  unavoidable 
chances  of  the  navigation,  and  instead  of  adopting  measures 
to  prevent  them,  they  were  deliberately  subtracted  from 
the  supposed  profits,  as  matters  of  course.  As  the  boat 
was  not  expected  to  last  more  than  four  or  five  years,  at 
best,  and  would  probably  be  burnt,  blown  up,  or  sunk 
within  that  period,  it  was  considered  good  economy  to 
reduce  the  expenditures,  and  to  make  money  by  any 
means,  during  the  brief  existence  of  the  vessel.  Boats 
were  hastily  and  slightly  built,  furnished  with  cheap  en- 
gines, and  placed  under  the  charge  of  wholly  incompe- 
tent persons  ;  the  most  inexcusable  devices  were  resorted 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS.  241 

to,  to  get  freight  and  passengers,  and  the  most  criminal 
indifference  to  the  safety  of  the  boat  and  those  on  board, 
observable   during  the  trip. 

The  writer  was  once  hurried  from  Louisville  to  Ship- 
pingsport,  two  miles  below,  without  his  breakfast,  and  in 
the  rain,  to  get  on  board  a  boat  which  was  advertised  to 
start  at  eight  o'clock  on  that  morning.  During  the  whole 
day,  passengers  continued  to  come  on  board,  puffing  and 
blowing, — in  the  most  eager  haste  to  secure  a  passage — 
each  hairing  been  assured  by  the  captain  or  agent,  that  the 
boat  would  start  in  less  than  an  liour.  The  next  day 
presented  the  same  scene  :  the  rain  continued  to  fall ;  we 
were  two  miles  from  the  city,  lying  against  a  miry  bank 
which  prevented  any  one  from  leaving  the  boat, — the  tires 
were  burning,  the  steam  hissing,  and  the  boat  only  wail- 
ing for  the  captain,  who  would  be  on  board  in  a  few 
minutes.  Bye  and  bye  the  captain  came — but  then  we 
must  wait  a  few  minutes  for  the  clerk,  and  when  the 
clerk  came,  the  captain  found  that  he  must  go  up  to  town. 
In  the  mean  while  passengers  continued  to  accumulate, 
each  decoyed  alike  by  the  assurance  that  the  boat  was 
about  to  depart.  Thus  we  were  detained  until  the  third 
day,  when  the  cabin  and  deck  being  crowded  with  a  col- 
lection nearly  as  miscellaneous  as  the  crew  of  Noah's 
ark,  the  captain  thought  proper  to  proceed  on  his  voyage. 
It  was  afterwards  understood  that  when  the  captain  be- 
gan to  collect  passengers,  a  part  of  his  engine  was  on 
shore,  undergoing  repairs  which  could  not  be  completed 
in  less  than  two  days,  yet  during  the  whole  of  those  two 
days,  were  the  fires  kept  up,  and  gentlemen  and  ladies  in- 
veigled on  board,  in  the  manner  related. 

We  mention  this  to  shew  the  kind  of  deceptions  which 
have  been  practiced.  This,  it  is  true,  was  an  extreme 
case,  but  although  the  detention  is  not  usually  so  great, 
nor  the  deceit  so  gross,  it  is  not  uncommon  for  steamboat 

V 


242  WESTERN    STEAMEOATS. 

captains  and  agents,  to  deceive  passengers  by  the  most 
egregious  misrepresentations. 

The  fact  is  important,  not  merely  as  shewing  the  incon- 
veniences to  which  travelers  are  exposed,  but  as  explain- 
ing one  of  the  causes  of  the  numerous  accidents  on  the 
western  waters — which  is,  bad  faith.  The  man  who 
will  do  one  dishonest  act,  will  do  another.  The  agent  or 
officer,  who  will  deliberately  kidnap  men,  by  the  assur- 
ance that  he  will  start  to-day,  when  he  knows  that  he 
will  not  start  until  to  morrow,  and  the  owner  who  will 
permit  such  conduct,  will  not  shrink  at  any  act  by  which 
he  may  think  his  interest  likely  to  be  promoted — and 
having  insured  the  boat,  will  risk  the  lives  of  the  passen- 
gers, by  running  at  improper  seasons,  and  other  hazards, 
by  which  time  may  be  saved,  and  the  expenses  of  the 
trip  diminished. 

The  danger  of  injury  to  boats  from  snags,  has  now 
become  greatly  diminished  in  the  Mississippi,  and  has 
almost  entirely  ceased  in  the  Ohio,  in  consequence  of  the 
measures  adopted  for  the  removal  of  those  obstacles. 

The  burning  of  boats  must  be  the  result  of  carelessness ; 
and  the  dreadful  consequences  arising  from  collision,  are 
produced  by  negligence  and  by  design.  There  is  scarce- 
ly a  conceivable  case  in  which  boats  may  not  avoid  run- 
ning against  each  other  in  the  night ;  and  there  are  many 
instances  in  which  the  officers  of  steamboats  have  been 
induced  by  a  ferocious  spirit  of  rivalry,  or  some  other 
unworthy  motive,  to  run  against  weaker  boats  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  sink  them  instantly. 

It  is  proper  however  to  state,  that  the  accidents  occur- 
lng  on  steamboats,  have  been  greatly  magnified  by 
premature  and  inaccurate  newspaper  reports,  and  that 
they  have  been  much  fewer  and  less  fatal  than  has  gen- 
erally been  supposed. 

It  is  also  true,  that  much  of  the  evil  alluded  to  is  attrib- 
utable to  the  precipitancy  and  culpable  negligence  with 


WESTERN*    STEAMBOATS.  243 

regard  to  their  o\Vn  safety  and  comfort  of  the  passengers. 
The  accidents  are  almost  wholly  confined  to  insufficient 
or  badly  managed  boats,  and  the  traveler  who  would  be 
cautious  in  embarking  only  id  those  of  the  more  respect- 
able class  Mould  almost  uniformly  ensure  himself  against 
danger.  A  choice  of  boats,  embracing  every  variety, 
from  the  best,  to  those  which  are  wholly  unseaworthy, 
is  presented  at  all  our  principal  places  of  embarkation. 
Yet  such  is  the  feverish  impatience  of  delay,  evinced  by 
most  travelers  in  our  country,  that  the  great  majority 
hasten  on  board  the  first  boat  which  offers,  regardless  of 
her  character,  and  only  anxious  to  be  moving  forward, 
under  any  discomfort,  and  at  every  hazard.  The  bad 
boats  receive  undue  patronage,  the  best  do  not  meet  the 
preference  to  which  they  are  entitled,  and  are  not  com- 
pensated for  the  extra  expenditure  bestowed  upon  their 
outfit  and  management ;  and  the  inducements  to  accom- 
modate the  public  well  being  weakened,  neither  the  own- 
ers nor  officers  of  steamboats  feel  the  same  solicitude  for 
the  reputation  of  their  boats,  nor  the  same  degree  of  re- 
sponsibility, which  would  occur  if  the  public  patronage 
was  more  judiciously  bestowed. 

The  following  remarks  occur  in  a  letter  to  the  secretary 
of  the  treasury,  from  Mr.  William  C.  Redfield,  agent  of 
the  steam  navigation  company  at  New  York,  and  are 
considered  as  embracing  the  steam  navigation  of  the  whole 
union: 

"  The  contests  for  speed,  or  practice  of  racing,  between 
rival  steamboats,  has  been  the  cause,  and  perhaps  justly, 
of  considerable  alarm  in  the  community.  It  is  remarka- 
ble, however,  that  as  far  as  the  information  of  the  writer 
extends,  there  has  no  accident  occurred  to  any  boiler 
which  can  be  charged  to  a  contest  of  this  sort.  The  close 
end  uniform  attention  which  is  necessarily  given  to  the 
action  and  state  of  the  boilers  and  engines,  in  such  eon- 
U  its,  may  have  had  a  tendency  to  prevent  disaster.     Hut 


244  WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 

this  hazard,  as  well  as  the  general  danger  of  generating 
an  excess  of  steam,  is  greatly  lessened  by  the  known  fact, 
that  in  most  steamboats  the  furnaces  and  boilers  are  not 
competent  to  furnish  a  greater  supply  of  steam  than  can 
be  used  with  safety,  with  an  ordinary  degree  of  attention 
on  the  part  of  the  engineers. 

M  The  magnitude  and  extent  of  the  danger  to  which  pas- 
sengers in  steamboats  are  exposed,  though  sufficiently 
appalling,  is  comparatively  much  less  than  in  other  modes 
of  transit  with  which  the  public  have  been  long  familiar ; 
the  accidents  of  which,  if  not  so  astounding,  are  almost 
of  every  day  occurrence.  It  will  be  understood  that  I 
allude  to  the  dangers  of  ordinary  navigation,  and  land 
conveyance  by  animal  power  on  wheel  carriages.  In 
the  former  case,  the  whole  or  greater  part  of  both  passen- 
gers and  crew  are  frequently  lost,  and  sometimes  by  the 
culpable  ignorance  or  folly  of  the  officers  in  charge,  while 
no  one  thinks  of  urging  a  legislative  remedy  for  this  too 
common  catastrophe.  In  the  latter  class  of  cases,  should 
inquiry  be  made  for  the  number  of  casualties  occurring 
in  various  districts  in  a  given  number  of  years,  and  the 
results  fairly  applied  to  our  whole  population  and  travel, 
the  comparatively  small  number  injured  or  destroyed  in 
steamboats  would  be  matter  of  great  surprise  to  those 
not  accustomed  to  make  such  estimates  upon  passing 
events.  It  is  also  worthy  of  notice,  that  if  the  average 
annual  loss  of  life  by  the  electric  stroke  were  ascertained 
in  the  manner  above  proposed,  the  results  would  probably 
show  a  loss  of  life  by  this  rare  casualty  far  exceeding 
that  which  is  occasioned  by  accidents  in  steamboats." 

We  extract  from  an  interesting  report  of  a  committee 
of  the  House  of  Representatives,  in  congress,  made  in 
1832,  by  Mr.  Wickliffe  of  Kentucky,  the  following  tabu- 
lar statement  of  the  steamboat  accidents  in  the  United 
States  previous  to  that  date. 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 


215 


LIST  of  Steamboat   Expio 
States,  [with  rt  ma 


sions  icJtich   fiave  OCCUTTtd   in   the    United 
rkt  thereon,)  by   W.  C.  KeJfuU. 


Hi 

i'A  pressure. 

When 
explo. 

Names. 

Place  of  Es plosion. 

Killed,  &C. 

Wouli. 

1817, 

Constitution, 

Mississippi, 

13  killed. 

i  t 

General  Robinson, 

do. 

9 

t  i 

Yankee, 

do. 

4 

*    4 

Heriot, 

do. 

1 

1824, 

Etna, 

New  York  bay,  - 

13 

1838 

Grampus, 

Mississippi, 

Lone  Island  Sound, 

unknown 

4     4 

Barnet,     - 

l  killed 

1630, 

Helen  McGregor, 

Mississippi, 

XI 

14  wounded 

4    4 

Caledonia. 

do. 

11 

11 

4    4 

Car  of  Commerce, 

Ohio  river, 

28 

si 

4     1 

Huntress, 

Miwimippi, 

unknown 

t    4 

Fuir  Star, 

Alabama, 

Skilled 

«    4 

Porpoise, 

Mississippi, 

unknown 

115 

[54 

Low  Pressure. 


Pre.  to 

1825, 

Enterprise,           cop.  boiler 

Charleston,  S.  C. 

9  killed 

4  wounded 

>  > 

Paraxon,                     do. 

Hudson  river, 

1 

1 

1 1 

Alabama, 

Mississippi, 

4 

• ' 

Feliciana, 

do. 

2 

<  • 

Arkansas, 

Red  river, 

4 

•  • 

Fidelity,                cop.  boiler 

New  York  harbor 

0 

9 

1 1 

Patent,                         do. 

do. 

5 

2 

< ' 

Atlanta.                     do. 

do. 

2 

<  1 

Bellona,                       do. 

do. 

0 

1  • 

Maid  of  Orleans,      do. 

Savannah  river. 

6 

•  1 

Rariian,               unknown 

Raman, 

1 

« 1 

Eagle,                           do. 

Chesapeake, 

2 

several 

1  ■ 

Bristol,     - 

Delaware  river. 

- 

1 

•  < 

Powhatan,            cop.  boiler 

Norfolk,  - 

a 

■ 

1824, 

J'  rsey,                            do. 

J. -rsey  eity. 

2 

1825, 

Tesch,      - 

Mississippi, 

several 

4    i 

Constitution, 

Hudson  river. 

3 

4    4 

Legislator, 

New  York  harbor, 

5 

2 

l-2ti. 

Hudson, 

East  river, 

- 

1 

4    t 

Franklin, 

Hudson  river, 

1 

C    4 

Ramapo,  in  Jan. 

New  Orleans, 

5 

2 

1    ( 

Do.        in  M:ir. 

do. 

1 

1 

1827, 

Oliver  Ellsworth, 

Lone  Island  Sound, 

3 

1830, 

Carolina, 

New  York  liarl>or, 

1 

4    4 

Ch.  J.  Marshall,  cop.  boiler 

Hudson  river, 

11 

2 

4    4 

United  States,     - 

East  river, 

9 

i-:;i, 

General  Jackson, 

Hudson  river, 

12  supposed    13 

95                    29 

1816, 

1826, 
1827, 
1826, 

1827, 


1831, 


Cotton  Plant, 
Washington,       (high  p.) 
Macon,    - 

Hornet,  (low) 

Sus(|iii-hannah,    - 

Union,  (high) 

Win.  Peacock,  stovepipe 
iTallv-ho,  (high) 

Kennawa,  (low 

Atlas, 
I  Andrew  Jackson, 

Tri-color,  (low) 


Mobile,    - 
Ohio  river, 

South  Carolina, 
I  Alabama, 

BneqaebanneJi, 
( >hio  river, 
Buffalo,    - 
Cumberland  river, 

(  lino  river, 

Mississippi, 

Savannah  river,  • 
Ohio  river, 

v  2 


unknown 


7 

4 

o 

2 

4 

15 

8 
1 
2 
8 


unknown 
9  \<  ounded 


46 


246  WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 

REC  APITULATION. 

Killed.  Wounded. 

13  High  pressure  accidents,         -        -        -  115  54 

27  Low  pressure         do.  95  29 

12  Character  of  engines  unknown,  supposed ")  A(.  01 
to  be  chiefly  high  pressure,     -        -         3 


52  Total,         256       104 

"  In  some  of  the  principal  accidents  comprised  in  the 
foregoing  list,  the  number  of  killed  includes  all  who 
did  not  recover  from  their  wounds.  In  other  cases,  the 
numbers  killed  are  as  given  in  the  newspapers  of  the  day, 
and  some  of  the  wounded  should  perhaps  be  added.  In 
some  few  instances  no  list  has  been  obtained,  and  possi- 
bly in  some  no  loss  of  life  has  occurred.  The  accounts 
of  some  of  the  minor  accidents  may  have  been  lost  sight 
of  or  overlooked  in  my  files.  In  making  an  approxi- 
mate estimate  of  the  whole  number  of  lives  which  have 
been  lost  in  the  United  States  by  these  accidents,  I  should 
fix  it  three  hundred. 

"  Although  this  is  a  melancholy  detail  of  casualties,  yet 
it  seems  less  formidable  when  placed  in  comparison  with 
the  ordinary  causes  of  mortality,  and  especially  when 
contrasted  with  the  insatiate  demands  of  intemperance 
and  ambition.  It  is  believed  that  it  will  appear  small 
when  compared  with  the  whole  amount  of  injury  and  loss 
which  has  been  sustained  by  traveling  in  stages  and  other 
kinds  of  carriages.  More  lives  have  probably  been  lost 
from  sloops  and  packets  on  the  waters  of  this  state  since 
the  introduction  of  steamboats,  than  by  all  the  accidents 
in  the  latter,  though  the  number  of  passengers  exposed 
has  been  much  smaller.  In  one  case  that  occurred  within 
a  few  years,  thirty-six  persons  were  drowned  on  board  a 
sloop  in  the  Hudson  river,  and  many  instances,  involving 
the  loss  of  a  smaller  number  of  lives ;  and  one  case 
occurred  not  long  since,  on  Long  Island  sound,  which 
resulted  in  the  loss  of  twelve  or  fourteen  individuals. 
"  It  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  foregoing  list,  that, 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS.  247 

of  twenty-five  lives  that  have  been  lost  on  board  of  New 
York  steamboats  previous  to  the  case  of  the  Chief  Justice 
Marshall,  and  excluding  the  case  of  the  Etna,  only  one 
passenger  is  included  in  the  number.  Even  in  the  more 
fatal  cases  which  are  here  excluded,  and  in  all  accidents 
of  this  nature,  the  chief  loss  is  sustained  by  the  crew  and 
officers  attached  to  the  boats,  who,  by  the  nature  of  their 
employments,  are  compelled  to  encounter  by  far  the 
greatest  portion  of  the  hazard. 

In  the  year  1832  it  was  estimated,  that  besides  the 
steamboats,  there  were  4,000  flat  boats  annually  descend- 
ing" the  Mississippi,  whose  aggregate  measure  would  he 
160,000  tons.  As  these  do  not  return,  the  loss  on  them 
would  amount  to  $420,000,  and  the  expense  of  loading, 
navigating  and  unloading  them  $960,000 — making  the 
whole  annual  expenditure  upon  this  class  of  boats 
$1,380,000. 

In  the  same  year  the  aggregate  cost  of  steamboats,  the 
expenses  of  running  them,  interest,  wear  and  tear,  wood, 
wages,  and  subsistence  of  crews  and  passengers  was  es- 
timated at  $5,906,000. 

The  total  expenditure  on  steam  and  flat  boats  was, 
according  to  this  calculation  $7,286,000. 

The  value  of  the  produce  exported  in  these  boats, 
together  with  the  labor  expended  in  and  about  them  was 
estimated  at  $26,000,000. 

The  different  descriptions  of  boats  navigated  on  the 
western  rivers,  in  that  year,  were  supposed  to  give  em- 
ployment to  16,900  men,  namely: 

To  mechanics  and  laborers  employed  in  building  20  7  $}  ~qq 
steamboats,  and  repairing  others,        -         -  $  y 

Wood  cutters, 4,400 

Crews  of  steamboats,      ------         4,800 

Buildinor  flat  boats,  -----         2,000 

Navigating  flat  boats  to  New  Orleans,     -        -        -        4,000 

$16,900 
But  adding  to  those  who  are  directly  engaged,  the  much 


248  WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 

larger  number  who  are  indirectly  employed  in  making 
engines,  and  in  furnishing,  supplying,  loading  and  dis- 
charging boats,  the  whole  number  of  persons  deriving 
subsistence  from  this  navigation  in  1832,  was  supposed 
to  be  90,000.  That  number  has  since  been  greatly  in- 
creased. During  the  last  season  there  was  built  at  Pitts- 
burgh and  the  neighboring  towns  about  25  steamboats,  at 
Cincinnati  and  its  neighborhood  about  25. 

From  1822  to  1827  the  loss  of  property  on  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi,  by  snags,  including  steam  and  flat  boats, 
and  their  cargoes,  amounted  to  $1 ,362,500.  Loss  in  the  same 
items  from  the  same  cause,  from  1827  to  1832,  $381,000. 

We  close  this  part  of  our  subject,  with  the  following  ex- 
tracts from  two  very  interesting  articles  published  in  the 
Wheeling  Gazette,  since  our  table  of  steam  boats  was 
compiled. 

"  We  are  informed  on  good  authority  that  the  number 
of  boats  built  the  present  year  between  Louisville  and 
Pittsburgh,  including  those  places,  will  not  fall  short  of 
50.  About  35  of  these  are  for  distant  parts  of  the  coun- 
try— for  the  southern  and  westernmost  States  :  the  remain- 
ing 15  will  be  added  to  our  river  trade,  increasing  the 
number  of  boats  thus  employed  to  about  60.  Supposing 
the  amount  of  freight  conveyed  in  each  boat  to  be  40  tons 
down  and  20  up,  some  opinion  may  be  formed  of  the 
amount  of  merchandise  transported  yearly  upon  the  Ohio. 
The  river  may  be  estimated  to  be  navigable  from  six  to 
eight  months  in  the  year,  and  each  boat  to  perform  twelve 
trips  from  Wheeling  to  Louisville  and  back.  Each  boat, 
then,  transports  12  times  40  tons  down,  and  half  this 
quantity  up,  equal  to  720  tons.  This  multiplied  by  60, 
the  number  of  boats,  gives  43,200  tons  as  the  gross  amount 
of  merchandise  transported  yearly  in  steamboats  upon  the 
Ohio. 

To  fix  the  value  of  this  merchandise  is  not  so  easy. 
Yet  something  like  accuracy  may  be  obtained.    It  is  said 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS.  249 

that  a  wagon  load  of  dry  goods,  weighing  2   tons,  will 
cost  about  4,000  dollars,  and  that  western  merchants  who 
purchase  8,000  dollars'  worth  receive  them  generally  in 
two  wagon  loads.     This  would  make  a  ton  of  dry  goods 
worth  2,000   dollars.     As  grosser  and   heavier  articles, 
however,  are  sent  down  the  river  in  large  quantities,  the 
value  per  ton  may  be  rated  at  500  dollars.     Forty  times 
500  give  20,000  dollars  as  the  value  of  each  cargo  ;  this, 
multiplied  by  12,  gives  240,000  as  the  amount  conveyed 
by  each  boat  during  the  season  ;  and  this  multiplied  by  60, 
the  number  of  boats,  gives  the  sum  of  14,800,000  dollars 
as  the  value  of  the  down  freight  in  a  single  year.     This 
is  independently  of  the  merchandise  conveyed  in  keel  and 
flat  boats,  and  the   immense  amount  of  lumber  which 
almost  covers  the  face  of  the  river  in  the  spring  season.  The 
value  of  the  merchandise  transported  up  the  river  may  be 
estimated  at  about   1,500,000   dollars.     Making  the  total 
value  of  merchandise  transported  in  steamboats  yearly  on 
the  Ohio,  upwards  of  sixteen  millions  of  dollars. 

The  following  table  shows  the  distances  from  each 
other  of  the  places  named,  and  from  Wheeling,  with  the 
prices  of  passage.  It  is  proper  to  observe  that  these  are 
established  rates,  but  that  some  boats  charge  less,  the 
prices  depending,  in  some  degree,  upon  the  number  of 
boats  in  port,  and  the  abundance  or  scarcity  of  passen- 
gers. 

rp  THE  IUVER.  MM  §      c 

Wheeling  to  Wellsburgh,  Ohio,     -     -     -     -  16  75 

Steubenville,  Ohio, 7         23  1   00 

Wellsvillc,         do 20         43  1    50 

Beaver,  Pennsylvania,    -     -     -       ...     -  26          69  2  50 

Pittsburgh,          do 27         96  3  00 

DOWN  THE  niVEH. 

Marietta,  Ohio, 82  2  50 

Parkersburgh.   Va. 10  92  2   50 

Point  Pleasant,  do 78  170  5  00 

(iiilliapolis.    Ohio, 3  173  5  00 

Ouvandotte,  Virginia, 37  210  6  00 

Portsmouth,  Ohio, 60  260  7  00 


250  WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 

DOWX  THE  RIVEB.  M  M  $        C 

Mavsville,  Kentucky, 42  307  8  00 

Ripley.  Ohio, 12  319  9  00 

Cincinnati, 46  355  10  00 

Port  William,  mouth  of  Kentucky,     -    -     -  79  434  1100 

Madison,  Indiana, 13  447  11   00 

Westport,  Kentucky, 20  467  12  00 

Louisville, 20  487  12  00 

Rome,  Indiana, 100  587  15  00 

Trov>  . 35  622  15  00 

Yelfo'w  Banks,  Kentucky, 25  647  15  00 

Evansville,  Indiana, 40  687  18  00 

Henderson,  Kentucky, 12  699  18  00 

Shawnetown,  Illinois, 53  752  18  00 

Smithland,  mouth  of  Cumberland,   -     -     -     -  63  815  18  00 

Mouth  of  Ohio, 66  881  20  00 

New  Madrid,  Mo. 75  956  22  00 

Memphis,  Tenn. 150  1106  25  00 

Helena,  Arkansas  Ter. 85  1191  26  00 

Yicksburgh,  Miss., 307  1498  30  00 

]Xatcliez 110  1608  30  00 

New  Orleans,  La. 300  1908  35  00 

The  above  prices  of  passage,  include  boarding.  The 
prices  of  deck  passage,  are  about  one-fourth  of  these,  the 
passengers  finding  themselves.  Thus  to  Louisville  the 
deck  passage  is  3  dollars,  cabin  12  ;  to  N.  Orleans,  deck, 
8,  cabin  35.  The  deck  is  covered  and  contains  berths, 
but  it  is  a  very  undesirable  way  of  travelling.  The  pas- 
sage to  Louisville  is  generally  performed  in  2£  days,  and 
to  New  Orleans  from  8  to  10  ;  returning  nearly  double 
this  time.  The  ordinary  speed  of  the  boats  is  12  miles 
an  hour  down  the  river,  and  6  up. 

Where  large  parties  apply  together  for  passage  or  where 
emigrating  families  apply,  a  considerable  reduction  is  of- 
ten made.  We  will  mention  the  case  of  a  family  from 
Maryland,  who  took  passage  on  the  27th  inst,  as  one 
in  point,  and  as  furnishing  emigrants  with  some  informa- 
tion they  may  like  to  hear.  The  family  consisted  of  15 
persons,  (9  adults  and  6  children,)  5  of  whom  were 
slaves.  There  were  also  three  horses,  a  wagon,  and  a 
wagon  load  of  baggage.     They  wished  a  passage  to  St. 


WESTERN     STEAMBOATS.  251 

Louis,  and  on  making  application  to  the  master  of  the 
only  boat  in  port  on  tluir  arrival  here,  were  told  that  the 
fare  would  bo  $20  for  each  adult  in  the  cabin,  (5  for  deck 
passage,  15  for  each  horse,  (the  owner  finding  them,) 
and  the  usual  rates  of  freight  for  the  baggage  ;  or,  to  lump 
the  whole,  $250.  Rather  than  pay  this,  the  head  of  the 
family  preferred  waiting  awhile  ;  he  did  so,  and  in  three 
days  effected  a  bargain  for  $160  for  the  family,  embracing 
6  cabin  passengers,  (with  servant,)  and  8  deck  do.,  to- 
gether with  three  horses,  wagon  and  baggage  ;  the  deck 
passengers  and  horses  to  be  found  by  the  emigrant. 

It  may  not  be  irrelevant  to  ?tdd  that  the  family  spoken 
of  had  come  from  a  county  in  Maryland  about  300  miles 
from  Wheeling.  They  travelled  about  20  miles  a  day 
with  a  four  horse  wagon.  Their  expenses  thus  far  was 
£75  dollars  ;  price  of  oats  on  the  road  45  to  50  cents. — 
Had  they  continued  on  by  land  to  St.  Louis,  600  miles 
from  here,  it  would  have  cost  them  100  dollars  more. — 
They  would  have  got  oats  in  Ohio  for  20  and  25  cents, 
and  Indiana  and  Illinois  for  16  and  18.  It  would  have 
taken  them  30  days,  however ;  while  by  water  they  will 
reach  there  in  7. 


252 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 


ALPHABETICAL  LIST  of  Steamboats  built  and  running  on  the 
western  waters,  with  the  date  of  building,  tonnage,  and  expiration 
of  service.  The  high  and  low  pressure  engines  are  distinguished 
by  the  letters  h  or  1  in  thefrst  column. 


^Etna, 

Alabama, 

Alexandria, 

Arkansas, 

Allegheny, 

Ariel, 

America, 

American, 


Andrew  Jackson, 
Aurora,  h 

Atalanta,  A 

Amazon,  I 

Attackapas,         A 
Atlas,  h 

Atlantic,  h 

Amulet,  I 

Allegheny,  h 

Abeona,  h 

Argus,  A 

Arab,  I 

Assinaboine,        A 
Albion,  A 

Antelope,  h 

Arkansaw,  A 

Argo,  h 

Andrew  Jackson, 
Alert,  h 

Alice  Maria,       h 
Alpha,  h 

Algonquin, 
Arabian, 
Artist, 
Adriatic, 
Adventure, 
Anna  Calhoun, 
Augusta, 
Beaver, 
Balise, 
Buffaloe, 
Belle  Creole        I 
Bolivar,  h 

Belvidere,  I 

Blakely, 

Ben.  Franklin,    I 
Beaver,  I 

Baltimore,  h 

Beverly  Chew, 
Belfast, 
Brandywine, 
Banner, 
Balise  Packet, 
Boston, 
Bolivar, 
Baltic, 
Bonita, 
Black  Hawk, 
Bravo, 


Pittsburgh, 
Fort  Stephens, 
New  Orleans, 

do. 
Pittsburgh, 
Cincinnati, 
Pittsburgh, 

do. 
Cincinnati, 
Steubenville, 
Cincinnati, 

do. 
Louisville, 
New  Albany, 
Marietta, 
Cincinnati, 
Pittsburgh 

do. 

do. 
Cincinnati, 

do. 
Brownsville, 
Pittsburgh, 
Cincinnati, 
Jeffersonville, 
Steubenville, 
Pittsburgh, 
Cincinnati, 


1814M301 


r: 


sing  bun, 


Pittsburgh, 

do. 
Brownsville, 
Cincinnati, 
Pittsburgh, 
Wheeling, 
Cincinnati, 
Louisville, 

Pittsburgh, 
Cincinnati, 
Pittsburgh, 
Portsmouth, 

Cincinnati, 

do. 
Pittsburgh, 


A  Cincinnati, 
h         do. 
A  Ripley, 

Pittsburgh, 
A  do. 

k  Grave  Creek, 
A  Pittsburgh, 
A  Cincinnati, 
A  New  Albany, 
h\  Wheeling, 


1818 

isia 

182« 
1318 

1826 
1826 
1824 
1823 
1825 
1824 
182| 

182 


1829 
1830 
1830 
1831 
1831 
1832 
1833 
1831 
1832 
1833 
1833 
1835 
1835 
1835 
1835 
1835 
1834 
1835 
1835 
1835 
1835 
1829 

1816 
1823 
1825 
1825 

1826 
1826 

1828 


219 

60 

51 

50 

80 

240 

50 

299 

150 

148 

300 

124 

ICO 

400 

150 

40 
150 
100 
150 
150 

40 

90 
115 

80 
120 
105 

95 

58 
222 
101 
108 
432 

50 
138 
312 
139 
300 
250 
122 
130 
160 
250 
165 
148 

73 


1822 
1824 
1823 

1826 

1827 


How  destroyed. 


1834 
1831 
1831 


Worn  out. 

Struck  St.  B.  Natchez. 

Struck  a  drift  log. 

Snagged. 

Worn  out. 

Worn  out. 

Sunk. 

Worn  out. 

Worn  out. 

Sunk. 

Worn  out. 

Sunk. 

Burnt  at  New  Orleans. 


1834 


1831 


Worn  out. 


Sunk  by  ice. 


1829 
1828 
1830 
1819 
1831 
1831 
1831 
1832 
1832 
1832 


435 

500 

90 

50 

157 

46 

407 

140 

160 

85 


1826 
1819 
1829 

1831 

1833 
1827 


1832 


Worn  out. 
Burnt. 
Worn  out. 
Snagged. 
Worn  oat. 
Worn  out. 

Abandoned. 


Name  changed  to  Pilot. 

Burnt— Above  Memphis. 
Changed  to  Calavar 


Changed  to  Heroine, 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 


253 


Names. 

Where  built. 

if 

Fi 

o 

D 

Date 
of  loss. 

How  destroyed. 

Barraturia, 

h  'Cincinnati, 

JKtt 

100 

Bonnets  of  Blue, 

h 

Cumberland    ) 
river,            ) 

1832 

18G 

Black  Hawk, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

1832 

160 

Bayou  Sara, 

h 

do. 

1833 

275 

Beaver, 

A 

Beaver, 

1833 

00 

Boone's  Lick, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

\nXi 

295 

Black  Hawk, 

Cincinnati, 

1832 

150 

Bunker  Hill, 

N.  Albany, 

l.-vU 

301 

Boone, 

do. 

1834 

110 

Missouri  Belle, 

Elizabeth  town 

1834 

104 

1834 

Sunk— By  St.  Boone's  Lick. 

Ben.  Franklin, 

Cincinnati, 

i-:m 

120 

Big  Black, 

Pittsburgh, 

1835 

81 

Comet, 

k 

Cincinnati, 

1817 

154 

1823 

Snagged. 

Cincinnati, 

Cincinnati, 

1818 

157 

Snagged. 

Car  of  Com-    ) 
merce,           ) 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1810 

B2I 

1822 

Worn  out. 

Columbus, 

I 

New  Orleans, 

1819 

450 

1824 

Worn  out. 

Calhoun, 

h 

Kentucky  river 

1819 

130 

1824 

Worn  out. 

Cumberland, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1819 

240 

1825 

Worn  out. 

Columbia, 

Cincinnati, 

1826 

220 

Burnt. 

Cherokee, 

h 

U5 

Burnt. 

Congress, 

Wheeling, 

1822 

100 

Worn  out. 

Courier, 

I 

Louisville, 

1820 

119 

Worn  out. 

Cotton  Plant, 

125 

Lost  at  Mobile 

Columbus, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1826 

220 

Sunk. 

Caledonia, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

L-24 

371 

Cavalier, 

I 

do. 

1825 

180 

1831 

Worn  out. 

Clinton, 

I 

do. 

1825 

132 

1831 

Worn  out. 

Caravan, 

h 

do. 

1825 

220 

1830 

Worn  out. 

Columbia, 

I 

do. 

1825 

200 

1833 

Snagged. 

Cotton  Plant, 

1826 

Courtland, 

Cincinnati, 

1826. 

212 

Cincinnati, 

k 

do. 

1826 

100 

Coosa, 

h 

Marietta, 

1826 

173 

1831 

Sunk  by  S.  B.  Huntress. 

Commerce, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1826 

180 

1830 

Worn  out. 

Crusader, 

I 

Fred'ksburgh, 

1826 

170 

1830 

Sunk. 

Catawba, 

A 

Silver  creek, 

1826 

170 

Chesapeake, 

Big  Bone, 

1827 

Never  commenced  running. 

Cleopatra, 

h 

New  Albany, 

1826 

150 

Criterion, 

h 

do. 

1828 

200 

Cumberland, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1828 

100 

1831 

Sunk. 

Car  of  Com-  ) 
merce,          ) 
Citizen, 

h 

West  Port, 

1827 

150 

1832 

Sunk. 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

182!) 

120 

Sunk. 

Constitution, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

1829 

300 

Cedar  Branch, 

h 

Cora, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1829 

140 

Corsair, 

h 

do. 

182» 

121 

Courier, 

h 

•Cincinnati, 

1830 

100 

1835 

Worn  out, 

Chieftain, 

h 

New  Albany, 

1830 

120 

Cotton  Plant, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

1830 

262 

1832 

Burnt  at  New  Orleans. 

Convoy, 

h 

do. 

1830 

315 

Cincinnatian, 

I 

do. 

1830 

230 

1834 

Worn  out. 

Colbert, 

A 

Carrolton, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1831 

180 

Columbus, 

h 

do. 

50 

Charleston, 

h 

Big  Sandy, 

1830 

80 

Conveyance, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

1831 

90 

Companion, 

h 

Ripley, 

1831 

100 

Courier, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1831 

160 

1834 

Worn  out. 

Choctaw, 

h 

do. 

1831 

130 

Chesapeake, 

h 

Marietta, 

1831 

154 

w 


254 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 


Names. 

— — r 

Where  built. 

3 

1  1 

How  destroyed. 

Chief  Justice  ) 
Marshall,     J 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1832 

179 

Chattahoochee, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

1832 

100 

Caroline, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1828 

90 

1834 

Sunk. 

Creole, 

h 

Cumberl'd  river 

1829 

171 

Worn  out. 

Chippewa, 

h 

Steubenville, 

1832 

140 

Caroline, 

h 

New  Albany, 

1H32 

180 

Caspian, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

1832 

200 

Champlain, 

h 

Augusta, 

1832 

100 

1834 

Sunk,  below  St.  Louis. 

Chester, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1832 

Charleston, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

1831 

Carolton, 

h 

Beaver, 

1830 

Cavalier, 

h 

Ripley, 

1832 

Chickasaw, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1832 

Cayuga, 

h 

do. 

1833 

Clinton, 

h 

Wheeling, 

182* 

Worn  out. 

Chancellor, 

h 

Shausetown, 

1832 

Compromise, 

h 

Louisville, 

1832 

Champion, 

h 

Bridgeport, 

1833 

Carol, 

h 

Portsmouth, 

1832 

Ceres, 

h 

Brownsville, 

1833 

Citizen, 

h 

Richmond, 

1833 

1834 

Sunk. 

Caledonia, 

h 

Ripley, 

1833 

Choctaw, 

. 

Pittsburgh, 

1833 

120 

Consort, 

h  j  Brownsville, 

1832 

130 

1832 

Sunk. 

Courtland, 

h  i  Cincinnati, 

1826 

200 

1833 

Sunk. 

Cumberland, 

A  Pittsburgh, 

182T 

120 

Worn  out. 

Commerce, 

h\         do. 

1^34 

170 

Cygnet, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

1834 

77 

Chickasaw, 

h 

do. 

1834 

152 

Claiborne, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1834 

327 

Despatch, 

. 

Brownsville, 

1817 

75 

1820 

Worn  out. 

Dolphin, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1819 

146 

]-:« 

Worn  out. 

De  Witt  Clinton,  h 

do. 

1826 

200 

1830 

Worn  out. 

Decatur, 

h 

Brownsville, 

1826 

113 

Sunk. 

Diana, 

h 

Brush  Creek. 

182^ 

100 

1833 

Sunk. 

Delaware, 

h,  Pittsburgh, 

1828 

100 

18:32 

Sunk — raised — abandoned. 

Dolphin, 

A!  Aurora, 

1826 

90 

Destroyed. 

Don  Juan, 

I 

Louisville, 

183] 

100 

Dolphin, 

h 

Portsmouth, 

1830 

112 

1832  i  Burnt,  below  Wheeling. 

Dove, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1831 

100 

I 

Dan'l  Webster, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

182't 

80 

1834  i  Worn  out. 

Delphine, 

h 

do. 

1832 

137 

1833 

Burnt. 

Dover, 

h 

Cumberland  R. 

1832 

200 

Dan'l  CrConneU 

,h 

New  Albany, 

1833 

200 

Daniel  Boone, 

do. 

1826 

264 

1832 

Sunk— Canadian  Reach,  Miss. 

Don  Pedro, 

Changed  to  Leonidas 

Denmark, 

Wheeling, 

1834 

r5 

338 

Despatch, 

Pittsburgh, 

1832 

Detroit, 

do. 

1835 

137 

Dover, 

do. 

1835 

80 

Daniel  Webster, 

Jeffersonville, 

1835 

389 

Dayton, 

Pittsburgh, 

1835 

118 

Enterprise, 

Brownsville, 

1814 

75 

1817 

Worn  out. 

Exchange, 

Louisville, 

1818 

214 

1824 

Worn  out. 

Elizabeth, 

do. 

1817 

243 

Worn  out. 

Expedition, 

Pittsburgh, 

1818 

120 

Expedition, 

Wheeling, 

1819 

235 

1824 

Worn  out. 

Eaele, 

Cincinnati, 

18!8 

118 

Snagged,  above  New  Orleana 

Eclipse, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1823 

120 

Sunk. 

Eliza, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

1821 

65 

Worn  out. 

Emerald, 

h 

Cumberland  R. 

1824 

150 

1830 

Worn  out. 

Echo, 

k 

Pittsburgh, 

1826 

150 

Worn  out. 

WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 


255 


t 

h 
h 
h 
h 
h 
ft 
h 
h 
ft 
h 
I 
ft 
ft 


Names. 

Erie," 
Essex, 
Emigrant, 
Experiment, 

Enterprise, 

Eagle, 

Express, 

Exchange, 

Enterprise, 

Envoy, 

Elk,  " 

Emigrant, 

Erin, 

Erie, 

Eclipse, 

Ellen  Douglass, 

Exchange, 

Franklin, 

Frankfort, 

Fayette, 

Fidelity, 

Florence, 

Fire  Fly, 

Florida, 

Fort  Adams, 

Florida, 

Feliciana, 

Favorite, 

Florence, 

Fanny, 

Friendship, 

Fame, 

Facility, 

Fairy, 

Forrester, 

Farmer, 
Freedom, 
Favorite, 
Friend, 
Falcon, 
Fairy  Queen, 
Friendship, 
Free  Trader, 
Fame, 
Farmer, 
Flora, 

Geo.  Madison, 
Gen.  Jackson, 
Gen.  Pike, 
Gen.  Clarke, 
Gov.  Shelby, 
Gen.  Harrison, 
Gen.  Greene, 
Gen.  Robinson, 
Grecian, 
Gen.  Pike, 
Geo.  Wash-  ) 
ington,        ) 
Gen.  Brown, 
Gen.  Scott. 
Gen.  Wayne, 
Gen.  Carroll, 
Gen.  Hamilton, 


Where   built. 


h  Pittsburgh, 

h  do. 


Cincinnati, 

Brownsville, 

Pittsburgh, 

do. 
Cincinnati, 
Louisville, 
Shousetown, 
Cincinnati, 
Brownsville, 
Cincinnati, 
( 'oviogton, 
Brownsville, 
Marietta, 
New  Alb  my, 
Cookstown, 
Pittsburgh, 
Kentucky  R. 
Louisville, 
New  York, 
Clarkesville, 
Louisville, 
Pittsburgh, 


I 

/ 
1 
h 
ft 

1 
ft 
ft 
1 
I 
ft 
I 
h 
ft 
h 
ft 
ft 
ft 
ft 
ft 
ft 
ft 
ft 
I 
ft 
h 
I 

I 
h 
ft 
ft 


Cincinnati, 
Philadelphia, 

Pittsburgh 
Silver  Creek, 
New  York, 
Pittsburgh, 

do. 
Cincinnati, 

do. 
Brownsville, 
Cincinnati, 
Wheeling, 
Nashville, 
Cincinnati, 

do. 
Brush  Creek, 
Cincinnati, 
Pittsburgh, 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 
Cincinnati, 
Louisville, 

do. 

do. 
Cincinnati, 
Newport. 
Louisville, 
Big  Bone. 

Cincinnati, 

Pittsburgh, 
Beaver, 
Pittsburgh, 
Cincinnati, 

do. 


=TS 


182  i 

I  —J  7 

1-J.i 

1830 

1830 

1830 

1831 

1830 

1830 

L831 

1829 

L832 

L833 

1827 

1 832 

1833 

1 835 

1-17 

1818 

1819 

18-21 

1822 

1826 


o 

s  s 


1826 

1820 

1822 

182 

1823 

1825 

1826 

1827 

1 327 

1827 

1831 

1 83 1 

1831 

1831 

1 332 

1832 

1833 

L832 
1 332 
1833 
L835 
181? 
18W 
1818 
1818 
1819 
1819 
1820 
1-1  I 
1824 
1-24 

1825 

L825 

1 325 
1 325 
1826 

lc2ti 


125 
135 

7<i 

ro 
150 

40 
105 

32 
111 

05 

60 

oo 

100 

.32 

lid 

266 

68 

150 

250 

:m 

150 
60 
19 
278 
125 
250 
408 
200 
60 
120 
200 
170 
11 
80 
KM) 


How  destroyed. 


1829 
ld32 


1832 

1833 
L832 


Worn  out. 

Broke  in  two,  on  Gr.  Chain. 

Sunk  by  ice. 


Abandoned. 
Snagged. 


IB22 
1822 


Abandoned. 
Lost  by  ice. 

Worn  out. 


Snagged,  near  St.  Genevieve. 
Worn  out. 
Worn  out. 
D  stroyed. 

It  art  roved. 
Destroyed. 
Destroyed. 
Burnt.' 

Burnt,  on  Mobile  river. 
Si  ill  running. 
Worn  out. 
Worn  out. 
1827  Went  back  to  N.  York. 
Worn  out. 

1830  Worn  out. 
Worn  out. 

1831  Sunk. 

1833  Burnt,  on  Cumberland. 


135 

I  55 
118 
91 
60 
100 
100 
132 
277 
119 
150 
150 
l-o 
200 
100 


1832 
1833 


Sunk, robbed,  and  burnt. 
Sunk  by  S.  B.  Senator. 


306 
238 
160 

150 

3(30 

180 
220 

350 
272 
158 


182-2 

1  -22 

1-2:! 
1822 
1822 
1 323 
1823 
1823 
1826 


Worn  out. 

Snagged,  on  Cumberland. 

Worn  out. 

Worn  out. 

Worn  out. 

Dest  roved. 

Snagged,  on  Cumberland. 

Snagged,  near  New  Madrid. 

Bui  nt  at  New  Orleans. 

Worn  out. 


Burnt  at  Mobile. 


1820  Worn  out. 

1829  Sunk  by  S.  B.  Diana. 

1829  Worn  out. 


256 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 


Names. 


Where  built. 


Gen.  Marion,      h 

Gen.  Coffee,         h 

Galena  &  St.  )    r 

Louis  Packet,  \ 

Grampus,  h 

Galena,  h 

Globe, 

Gen.  Neville, 

Gondola, 

Gleaner, 

Guyandot, 

Gondolier, 

Gallipolis, 

Gaz-lle, 

Grenadier, 

Galenian, 

Gladiator, 

General  Pike, 

General  Sumpter, 

Gov.  Clarke, 

George  Collier, 

Hecla, 

Henderson, 

Hero, 

Henry  Clay,         I 

Hornet, 

Hope, 

Hercules,  h 

Highl'd  Laddie,  h 

Herald,  h 

HelenM'Gregor,A 


Cincinnati, 
Pittsburgh, 

New  Albany, 

Cincinnati, 

do. 
St.  Louis, 


A  Pittsburgh, 

do. 

do. 
Cincinnati, 
Nashville, 
Gallipolis, 
Pittsburgh, 
Bridgeport, 
Pittsburgh, 
Cincinnati, 

do. 

do. 
Louisville, 


Hercules, 

Hibernia, 

Huntress, 

Huntsville, 

Huron, 

Home, 

Huntsman, 

Highlander, 

Herald. 

Hope, 

Hudson, 

Jla' '-hie, 

Herald, 

Harry  Hill, 

Homer, 

Halcyon, 

Helen  Mar, 

Henry  Clay, 

Hawk  Eye, 

Heroine, 

Heroine, 

Huntsville, 

Huntress, 

Hunter, 

Independence, 

Independence, 

Indiana, 

Illinois, 

Integrity, 

1^  ibella, 

Industry, 

Illinois, 


£.=■      8       5  P 


1826 

1826 

1826 

1827 
1829 
182i) 
1822 
1830 
1830 
1831 
1831 
1832 
1832 
1832 
1834 
1834 
1835 
1835 
1835 


Cincinnati, 

do. 
Steubenville, 
Licking  river, 
Brandenburg, 
Louisville, 
Cincinnati, 

do. 

Pittsburgh, 

Cincinnati, 

Pittsburgh, 

New  Albanv, 

do. 
Pittsburgh, 

do. 

do. 

do. 
Brownsville, 
Marietta, 
Zanesville, 
Pittsburgh, 

do. 

do. 
Cumberl'd  rive 
New  Albany, 
A!  Brownsville, 
AlCincinnai  i, 
Pittsburgh, 
( 'im-innuti, 

Bridgeport, 

New  Albany, 

Shausetown, 

Pittsburgh, 

do. 

do. 
Salt  river, 
New  Albany, 
Pittsburgh, 
Cincinnati, 
Marietta, 
Pittsburgh, 
Jeffersonville, 


88 
200 

150 

290 

no 

150 
150 
120 

100 

(J1 

110 
100 
130 

150 
130 

120 
151 
188 
149 


1818 

1-- 

1819 

1819 

1820 

1821 

1-2;: 

1824 

1824 

1   25 

1826 

182G 

1826 

182  I 

1829 

1829 

1829 

1829 

1829 

1828 

1-2" 

1839 

1831 

L832 

1839 

L832 

1832 

1831 

182 

1832 

]  B33 

1829 

1834 

ikw 
1818 
L818 
1822 
1826 
1827 
1^27 
1829 
1831 


How  destroyed. 


1832 


120 
124 
120 
150 
118 

75 
275 

86 
150 
340 
1155 
200 
300 
350 
230 
120 
156 
120 
120 

60 
346 
100 
200 
161 
500 
121 

80 
425 
120 

96 
160 
330 

97 

no 

50 
100 
180 
130 
100 
250 

80 
110 


1823 

1823 
1822 
1826 

i  325 
L828 


1831 

831 

1S34 


1831 


Worn  out. 

Changed  to  Hawk  Eye. 
Abandoned,  up  the  Mississippi. 
Worn  out. 

Sunk  by  unloading. 

Changed  to  Rambler. 


Mail  boat. 


Worn  out. 

Worn  out.  [sunk. 

Struck  a  rock  near  Golconda — 

Destroyed,  on  Mobile  river. 

Lost  at  Mobile. 
|  Sunk,  near  Bayou  Sara. 

Sunk. 

Destroyed. 

Destroyed. 

Destroyed  at  Mobile. 
:  Worn  out. 

Worn  out. 


Snagged,  above  Natchez, 
Burnt,  at  Beaver. 


1835 


Worn  out. 


1821 
1829 
1828 


Formerly  the  Galena. 


Worn  out. 
Worn  out. 
Snagged. 


Name  changed  to  Elk 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 


851 


Names. 


Where   built. 


Ivanhix', 

Indian, 

Indiana, 

Iowa, 

llp-ria, 

James  Monroe, 

Johnston. 

Jam----  B 

Jubilee, 

jOMphine, 

Jimm  '  >  Mara, 

July  4th, 

Juniata, 

Junius, 

J'.'tV- 

J  -..II, 

Java, 

James  .Monroe, 

John  Nelson, 

Jack  Downing, 

Josephine, 

John  Hancock, 

hit  ucky, 

Kanawha, 

Kentuckiau, 

Knoxviile, 

Kitty  Clover, 

Kentuckian, 

ird, 
Louisiana, 
La  Fayette, 
Liberator, 
Louisville, 
Lanrence, 
L.  \ington, 
Liberator. 
Lady  Wash 

ini'ton, 
Ladv  of  the  i 

Lake 
Lady  Wash 
iiiiitori. 

Livings  ton, 

I..1 

Lady  La  Fayette, 

Lady  Franklin,  h 

La  Poorche, 

Lark, 

Louisiana, 

Laurel. 

Ladv  Byron, 

Louisville, 

L   mess, 

Little  Rock, 

Ladv  Mi 0I1-. hi. 

L'id\  Jackson, 

Li'ly  Wash-  / 
ington,       ) 

La1 

La  Fayette, 

1..  onicias, 

Logan, 

Le  Flore, 


Pittsburgh, 
( Cincinnati, 

do. 

Elisabeth  town 
( Cincinnati, 
Pittsburgh, 
Wheeling, 
Pittsbargh, 

do, 
»  Cincinnati, 
Pittsburgh, 

N.\\    Albany, 

Pittsburgh, 
Elisabeth  town, 
Wheeling, 
Nashville, 
Marietta, 

<  Cincinnati, 

Pittsburgh, 
Gallipolis, 

Mari.tta, 

Brush  ( Creek, 

Kentucky  river 

Cincinnati, 

Pittsburgh, 

'  Cincinnati, 

Wheeling, 

Pittsburgh 

Louisville, 
New  ( >rl>ans, 

Pittsburgh, 

do. 
Louisville, 
» Cincinnati, 
Frankfort, 
Pittsburgh, 

do. 
New  Albany, 

Silver  Creek; 

Bmithland, 

Wheeling, 

Portsmouth, 
New  Albany, 
Pittsburgh, 

<  Cincinnati, 

Steubenville, 
Pittsburgh, 
New  Albany, 

J.tl'.  rsonville, 
Bridgeport, 

Nashville, 

Marietta, 

Pittsb'gh, 

(Cincinnati, 
do. 

do. 

do. 


l-l-  270 

1826  205 

]--'<>  50 
200 

i-:;i  KMi 

i  -:u  i  i  - 

1832  129 

1832  156 

1832  100 

1830  103 

1831  170 

1833  156 

1833  123 

1834  90 

1835  95 
1818  112 
I -j-  no 
1829  255 
1831  120 
1829  60 
1829  331 
1820  60 
1818  103 

1825  150 

1826  -jim  i 

1823  mo 

1824  122 

1825  250 
LS9G  200 

1896  117 


1826 


1826 


ITU 

3G0 

1896  200 

1898  135 

65 

1829  208 

1-.'.  J,  Ml 

1 100 

i.<K)  :t(i: 


1830 
i-:n 
1832 
1832 
1832 
1832 


100 
:«: 

175 
100 
130 
190 


1831 


How  destroyed. 


Sunk,  below  Bed  Biter. 

Worn  out. 

Stove  by  ice,  at  St.  Loui§ 

Worn  out. 

Worn  out. 

Sunk,  above  Wheeling. 


lr-34  Sunk. 


i-:u 
1621 


1838  100 

1838  135 
1833  H4 

1833  125 

1834  B5 
1834  115 

w  Z 


I  .-25 
1897 

|.o   | 

1834 

1839 
1832 
1839 

|839 
1 335 


1832 
1833 


Sunk,  below  St.  Louia 

Worn  out. 
Sunk. 


Abandoned. 

Snagged,  near  Point  Chacot 

Worn  out. 

Worn  out. 

Worn  out. 

Worn  out. 

Worn  out. 

Worn  out. 
Worn  out. 

Sunk  by  ice. 

Snagged,  at  Wolf  Island. 

Lost  by  ice. 

Worn  out. 
Abandoned. 

Sunk  by  collision. 

Name  changed  to  L'neas. 


Lost,  striking  a  stump. 

Lost,  by  an  explosion  of  powder 


1833 


Burnt,  mouth  of  Ohio- 


258 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 


a-3 

H 

o 

Names. 

Where  built. 

s  ~ 

o 

3 

at   a 

How  destroyed. 

Lady  Boone, 

Wheeling, 

lt<34 

40 

Lady  Scott, 

Maysville, 

1634 

70 

Lady  Marshall, 

Cincinnati, 

1834 

120 

Lewis  Cass, 

do. 

1835 

1*2 

Levant, 

do. 

1835 

288 

Maid  of  Orlean 

9   I 

Philadelphia, 

1818 

193 

Destroyed. 

Maysville, 

h 

Maysville, 

1618 

209 

1824 

Worn  out. 

Manhattan, 

I 

New  York, 

1819 

427 

1825 

Worn  out. 

Mississippi, 

I 

Mobile. 

1819 

360 

1825 

Worn  out. 

Mandan, 

Louisville, 

1819 

150 

1825 

Snagged,  above  New  Orleans 

Missouri, 

h 

Newport, 

1819 

177 

1^26 

Snagged. 

Mars, 

h 

Wheeling, 

1819 

55 

1822 

Snagged,  above  New  Orleans. 

Missouri  Packet, 

Louisville, 

1819 

60 

1620 

Snagged,  on  the  Missouri. 

Mobile, 

New  Orleans, 

1820 

145 

Magnet, 

I 

Louisville, 

1822 

140 

1827 

Worn  out. 

Miami, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

1822 

100 

1828 

Sunk. 

Mechanic, 

h 

Marietta, 

1823 

120 

1827 

Stove,  near  St.  Louis. 

Mexico, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

1823 

120 

1627 

Worn  out. 

Muskingum, 

h 

Marietta, 

1825 

150 

1829 

Snagged,  on  Red  River. 

Montezuma, 

I 

Cincinnati, 

1827 

200 

1829 

Snagged,  near  Helena. 

Marietta, 

h 

Marietta, 

1825 

150 

Messenger, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1826 

160 

1830 

Worn  out. 

Maryland, 

h 

do. 

1827 

160 

Monongahela, 

k 

Brownsville, 

1827 

100 

Name  changed  to  Forester 

Missouri, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

162^ 

150 

Mountaineer, 

h 

Brownsville, 

1625 

175 

1832 

Abandoned. 

Montgomery, 

I 

Cumberl'd  river 

162? 

140 

1829 

Sunk. 

Mohican, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1829 

350 

Monticello, 

h 

do. 

1829 

140 

1833 

Sunk,  in  Bayou  Plaquemine. 

Magnolia, 

I 

Cincinnati, 

1630 

100 

Minerva, 

h 

1830 

Mobile, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1830 

150 

1831 

Burnt. 

Mercury, 

h 

Steubenville, 

16li| 

15 

Struck  by  S.  B.  Pittsburgh 

Messenger, 

h 

Ripley, 

1831 

100 

Memphis, 

h 

Nashville, 

1831 

380 

Michigan, 

h 

Beaver, 

1831 

338 

Mohawk, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1831 

555 

Mount  Vernon, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

1832 

90 

Metamora, 

A 

Louisville, 

1832 

Mediterranean, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1832 

600 

Largest  boat. 

Missourian, 

h 

do. 

1832 

215 

1832 

Cabin  burnt  off. 

Mobile  Farmer, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1832 

214 

Mountaineer, 

h 

Bridgeport, 

1832 

188 

Miner, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1833 

70 

Madison, 

h 

Wheeling, 

1-J- 

50 

Majestic, 

Pittsburgh, 

1834 

323 

Missouri  Belle, 

Elizabethtown, 

1834 

164 

Mogul, 

Pittsburgh, 

1834 

414 

Minerva, 

do. 

1834 

87 

Marion, 

Fredonia, 

1835 

140 

Mazeppa, 

Louisville, 

1834 

135 

Monroe, 

Wheeling, 

1835 

90 

Mount  Pleasant 

t 

do. 

1835 

94 

Madison, 

Pittsburgh, 

1835 

322 

Marion, 

do. 

1635 

109 

Natchez, 

New  Orleans, 

Pittsburgh, 

1815 

350 

1818 

Sunk    near    Baton  Rouge. 

Napoleon, 

Louisville, 

1817 

3H3 

1822 

Worn  out. 

Nashville, 

Cincinnati, 

1822 

200 

1826 

Snagged,  above  New  Orleans. 

Nashville  Packet, 

do. 

1827 

125 

1831 

Worn  out. 

Natchitoches, 

do. 

1826 

Worn  out. 

Neptune, 

New  Orleans, 

1621 

50 

Worn  out. 

WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 


259 


Names. 


Where  built. 


Natchez, 

New-York, 

Native, 

Neptune, 

North  America,  A 

Nashville,  A 

Niagara, 

Nile, 

New-Jersey, 

New-Pennsyl 

vauia, 
Napoleon, 
North  Alabama,  A 
New  Brunswick, A 

Nimrcd,  // 

Navarino,  h 

Neptune,  // 

New  Emigrant,  A 
Native. 

New  Companion, 
Navigator, 
New- York, 
Neosho, 
Orleans, 

Ohio,  A 

Olive  Branch,  A 
Osage, 

Ohio,  h 

Opelousas,  /' 

Ontario,  h 

Oregon.  h 
Oliver  H.  Perry, 

Ohio,  A 

Olive,  A 

Odd  Fellow,  A 

Orleans,  A 

Otto,  h 

Osage,  A 

Orion,  A 

Ophelia,  A 

0"Connell,  A 

Olive  Brancn,  // 

Ouachita,  h 

Ohioan,  k 
Otsego, 

Providence,  I 

Post  Boy,  h 
Perseverance, 

Paragon,  / 

President,  A 

Phc?nix,  A 

Pitts'h.  &   St.  i  . 

Louis  Packet,  j  A 

Pittsburgh,  A 

Pennsylvania,  A 

Pilot,  I 

Paul  Pry,  A 

Plough  Boy,  A 

Patriot,  A 

Pioneer,  A 

Phoebus,  h 

Planter,  / 

Paul  June9,  A 


New  York, 
Pittsburgh, 
Cincinnati, 
Pittsburgh, 

do. 
Cincinnati, 
Steubenville, 
Pittsburgh, 

do. 

do. 

do. 
Cincinnati, 
Pittsburgh, 

Gallipolis, 
Jeffereooville, 

<  'iiii-innati, 
Bridgeport, 

Brownsville, 

Bridgeport, 

Cincinnati, 

do. 
Pittsburgh, 
New  Albany, 
Pittsburgh, 
Cincinnati, 
Portsmouth, 
Cincinnati, 
Silver  Creek, 
Marietta, 
( 'iiu  innati, 
Pittsburgh, 

do. 
Elizabethtown, 
New  Albany, 
Jeffersonville, 
Morgantown. 
Marietta, 
Cincinnati, 
Pittsburgh, 
Klizubothtown, 
Cincinnati, 
Pittsburgh, 
Evansville, 
K< nt  ucky  R. 
Louisville, 
Cincinnati, 

do. 
Pittsburgh, 

do. 

do. 

do. 
do. 
Big  Bone, 

Frankfort, 
Cincinnati, 

do. 

do. 

do. 
Beaver, 


°"3 
£.? 

~  "3 
■      3    ' 

1822 
1896 
1887 
1828 
1838 
1838 
1829 

1830 

1827 

1833 

1831 
1 832 
1832 
1832 
1632 
1832 
1834 
1834 
I  KM 
1835 
1834 
1811 
1817 
1819 
1820 
1824 
1820 

1827 
1829 
l8:tl 
1830 

lr30 
1831 
183J 
1832 
1832 
1832 
1833 
1,-33 
l,-:;:! 
1833 
1835 
1818 
1818 
1818 
1819 
1834 
1823 

1823 

1833 
1833 

1825 

1884 

1825 

1825 
1835 

D-V* 
1825 


? 


e      1 

C    V 

K  C 


240 
310 

UK) 
•-MM) 

;«)0 

3!>8 
130 
130 
150 

140 

1G0 

:hj5 

200 

147 

140 
«0 
SB 

134 
85 

134 

400 
304 
313 
14!) 

1-D 

133 

100 
225 

101) 

288 

100 

32i 
103 
00 

110 
10 

70 
102 
104 

95 
450 
231 

50 
355 
:wo 

200 

131 

133 
107 
150 

60 
120 
258 
200 

HO 
130 
300 


1829 

lti3"J 


How  destroyed. 


1832 


1833 


1813 
1819 

1823 

1828 


1832 


Snugged,  below  Natchez. 

Snagged,  near  Plumb  Point. 

Snagged. 

Snagged,  mouth  of  the  Ohio. 

Abandoned. 


Sunk  by  ice. 


Burnt,  above  Vicksburg. 


la24 
1824 
1830 
[838 

1828 
1827 


1827 


1831 
1830 


1831 


Snagged,  near  Baton  Rouge. 

Worn  out. 

Worn  out. 

Sunk. 

Destroyed. 

Worn  out. 

Worn  out. 

Sunk,  at  Plumb  Point. 

Name  changed  to  Dan. Webster. 

Changed  to  Western  Virginian 
Changed  to  Traveler. 


Snagged,  above  New  Orleana. 

Worn  out. 

Burnt,  near  Madi6on. 

Worn  out. 

Run  ashore,  below  Louisville. 

Worn  out. 

Burnt. 

Worn  out. 

Worn  out. 

Snagged,  below  St.  Louis 

Sunk,  on  Red  River. 

Worn  out. 
Worn  out. 


Worn  out. 


60 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 


Names. 

Post  Boy, 

Pocahontas, 

Philadelphia, 

Pocahontas, 

Pilot, 

Potomac, 

Porpoise, 

Phoenix, 

Powhattan, 

Plaquemine, 

Pennsylvania, 

Plaquemine, 

Planet, 

Packet, 

Pacific, 

Paragon, 

Pearl, 

Peruvian, 

Pittsburgh, 

Polander, 

Planter, 

Portsmouth, 

President, 

Paul  Clifford, 

Peoria, 

Planter, 

Post  Boy, 

Privateer, 

Plough  Boy, 

Protector, 

Paul  Jones, 

Princeton, 

Polosi, 

Plough  Boy 

Ponchartrain, 

Patrick  Henry, 

Pawnee, 

Philadelphia, 

Pioneer, 

Rifleman, 

Rapide, 

Robert  Fulton, 

Rocket, 

Rufus  Putnam, 

Robert  Burns, 

Rob  Roy, 

Rambler, 

Red  River, 

Robert  Emmet, 

Red  River  Pack 

Reindeer, 

Republican, 

Rover, 

Rising  Sun, 

Robert  Fulton, 

Red  Rover, 

Red  Rover, 

Ruhama, 

Reaper, 

Reindeer, 

Rambler, 

Return, 

Rapide, 


New  York, 
Pittsburgh, 
Cincinnati, 
Pittsburgh, 
New  York, 
Pittsburgh, 
Cincinnati, 
Pittsburgh, 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 
Cincinnati, 
Pittsburgh, 
Cincinnati, 

do. 

do. 
Pittsburgh, 

do. 
Brownsville, 
Pittsburgh, 
Cincinnati, 
Cumberland  R. 
Cincinnati, 
Elizabethtown, 
Pittsburgh, 
Steubenville, 
Pittsburgh, 
Louisville, 
Pittsburgh, 
Cincinnati, 
Rockville, 
Pittsburgh, 

do. 
New  Albany, 
Cincinnati, 
Pittsburgh, 
Marietta, 
Pittsburgh, 
Louisville, 
Pittsburgh, 
New  York, 
Louisville, 
Marietta, 
Cincinnati, 

do. 
Pittsburgh, 
Marietta, 
Louisville, 
Cincinnati, 
Brownsville, 
Cincinnati, 

do. 
Rising  Sun, 
Cincinnati, 
Pittsburgh, 

do. 

do. 
Cincinnati, 
Brownsville, 
Cincinnati, 
near  Pittsh  gh, 
New  Albany, 


le25 

1825 
1826 
1826 

1827 
182a 
1828 
1826 
1828 
1828 
1827 
1829 
1629 
1829 
1829 
1829 

1830 
1831 

1831 

1832 

183] 

1831 

1832 

1833 

1833 

1833 

1833 

1834 

1834 

1834 

1634 

1834 

1834 

1835 

1835 

1835 

1835 

1818 

1819 

1820 

1820 

1822 

1825 

1823 

1823 

1824 

1825 

1826 

1826 

1826 

1827 

1828 
1828 
1829 
1829 
1831 
1830 
1831 
1832 
1830 


250 
260 
445 
260 
240 

80 
326 
250 
221 

65 
150 
100 
100 

90 
387 

90 

69 
400 
100 

116 

95 
360 
100 

78 

107 

44 

149 

80 
156 
170 
133 
121 
142 
145 
115 
198 
115 
112 
231 
189 
500 

75 

60 
125 
240 
120 
180 

40 
120 

60 

50 
100 
100 
128 

50 
500 

70 
130 
100 

93 
127 
160 


1834 

1833 
1832 

1833 


How  destroyed. 


Worn  out. 

Abandoned. 

Burnt,  near  Bayou  LaFourche. 

Abandoned. 


1833  Snagged,  below  Natchez. 
1832  Lost  by  ice. 


1833 


1834 


1824 
1822 

1821 
1826 
1828 
1829 


Sunk  in  Wabash. 

Struck  by  S.  B.  Missourian 


Burnt. 


1830 
1834 


1832 
1833 
1833 
1833 


Burnt  at  Mobile. 

Burnt. 

Worn  out. 

Worn  out. 

Snagged,  near  Port  Chicot. 

Burnt. 

Worn  out. 

Worn  out. 

Worn  oat. 
Worn  out. 

Worn  out. 

Worn  out. 
Worn  out. 
Worn  out. 

Sunk,  below  Natchez. 
Burnt,  at  New  Albany. 
Burnt,  at  Louisville. 
Sunk  by  ice. 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 


201 


Names. 


Rising  Sun, 
Richmond, 
Ramhh  r, 
Randolph, 
Reliance, 

I  :Ue, 

B  indeer,  3d. 

K-.l,  I 

Rufus  1'utnam,  A 

R  <>a  i  A 

];      rt] 

Robert  Morris, 
Rover. 

Saint  Louis,  A 

II,  A 
St. Lou  i*  Packet,* 

Shamn '  k 
A 

St.  .Mar v,  A 

St.  John,  A 

Star,  A 

Souvenir,  A 

oty  Six,  A 

St.  Lou  A 

Sylph,  A 

Saratoga,  / 

Btranger,  A 

Shark,  Tow  B.  A 

Su[>  rior,  A 

B      ta,  A 

low, 
Sun  Patch, 

Shoal  water, 

Scout,  A 

Sam-  A 

/ 

1 

Statesman,  A 

ind,  A 

Sentinel)  A 

Sangamon,  A 

Splendid,  A 

Star  of  the W 


»py. 


St.  Martin, 

Superior, 

E       Boll,  A 

Shamrock,  A 

St.  Landry,         A 

Sun. 

St.  I^eon, 

Science, 

Southron, 

Siam, 

Swiss  B'>v, 

S.lma, 

South  Alabama, 

Southerner. 

Tamerlane, 

-.n,    A 
T     he,  / 

Telegraph, 
Telegraph, 


Lawreocebarg, 

Hi'  limonil 

Nashville, 
Wen  Albany, 
Btowum  die, 
Louisville, 
Brownsi  ille, 
Jefferson  vilte, 
Marietta, 

">g. 
do. 
Pittsburgh, 
do. 

-  'Ur^'h, 
Big  U 

.:iy, 
Pittsburg 
i .  iny, 

Nashi  ille, 
( Cincinnati, 
Pittsburgh, 
inj, 

Cincinnati, 
do. 
do. 

<lo. 

Pittabdrgh, 

t   nninnal  i, 

Steubenville, 

GalJij 

Pittsburgh, 

Pittsburgh, 

ii. 
do. 
-  :1011th, 

■  ile, 
Albany, 
Brownsville, 
Pittsburgh, 
innati, 
do. 

wn. 
New  Albany, 

innati, 
Warren, 
Portland, 
do. 

Jefferson  viBe, 
Frederieklowa, 

•••nville, 
Pittsburgh, 

mnuti, 
Pil  uburgh, 

Klizabeihtown, 
( 'inriniiati, 
Pittsburgh, 

do. 

\<  w  Orleans, 
Louisville, 

Pittsburgh, 


332 
833 

83 1 


-.    = 


-40 

1INI 


1833 


-:<:t  !».» 

-:t:t  130 

-M  un 

834  l;c' 

835  98 
335  1"hi 
KG  104 


128 


8 18  250 


-II 

150 
125 

140 

100 

no 

1411 

L45 

329  70 

329  14U 

828  liH) 

. 

--  " 

-.'•j  170 


-. 


-:n 

331 

- 
831 
331 

-:d 
331 

-    . 

332 


211 

150 
183 
136 
185 

14.i 

400 

150 
53 


332  mi 

-:<:<    40 

831    SM) 
332  150 


334 

335 
335 

335 

-I- 
-I- 

318 

-Ir. 

819 


-, 
70 
14' 
128 
156 
355 
165 
:<-.ii 
:«i: 

m 

100 


How  destroyed. 


Sunk,  Tennessee  River. 


1828 


1832 


. 


1-j.- 


1831 
1833 


1835 
1833 


1835 
1833 

l-:u 


1832 


1834 

1 322 

1825 

1819 
1830 


Burnt,  near  New  Madrid. 
!'•  !ou  Wheeling. 

Worn  out. 
Worn  out. 

Sunk. 

changed  to  Stranger. 

Sunk,  striking  a  stump. 
gg        in  Grand  Gulf. 

Burnt,  at  New  Orleans, 
Worn  out. 


Worn  out. 


Sunk. 
Abandoned. 


Worn  out. 

Burnt,  at  Louisville. 


Worn  out. 

Snagged,  in  Arkansas. 

Burnt,  near  Donaldsonville. 


Sunk,  by  S.  B.  Baltic. 


Won  out. 

Worn  out. 

Burnt,  below  Natchf  J.. 

_■••(].  l.-lmid  21,  Mississippi. 
Bur.it,  near  Faint  Oncol. 


262 


WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 


Names. 

Where  built. 

13 

1819 

4lb 

o 

C    P 

p  $ 

1823 

How  destroyed. 

Tennessee, 

/ 

Cincinnati, 

Snagged,  above  Natchez. 

Telegraph, 

1821 

100 

Snagged,  Cumberland  River. 

Tecumseh, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

182b 

2 1  - 

1830 

Worn  out. 

Tuscumbia, 

h 

do. 

le20 

210 

Triton, 

h 

do. 

1826 

50 

Talisman, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1828 

150 

1832 

Burnt,  at  St.  Louis. 

Traveller, 

h 

Wheeling, 

1828 

50 

1832 

Sunk,  at  St.  Louis. 

Talma, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1829 

140 

1833 

Worn  out. 

Tennessean, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

1829 

250 

Trenton, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1829 

150 

1833 

Snagged. 

Tigress, 

I 

Cincinnati, 

1828 

200 

1830 

Burnt,  at  Rockport. 

Tour, 

h 

do. 

1829 

180 

Tallyho, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1829 

150 

Tippecanoe, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

1830 

150 

Telegraph, 

I 

do. 

1829 

189 

1833 

Sunk,  by  S.  B.  New  Orleans 

Tariff, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1829 

30 

Tricolor, 

h 

Portsmouth, 

1831 

130 

Burnt,  below  Wheeling. 

Thos.  Yeatman 

,h 

Cincinnati, 

1830 

115 

Tobacco  Plant, 

h 

Nashville, 

1831 

300 

Tange  peho, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

1832 

c^0 

Transport, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1832 

125 

Tuscarora, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

1833 

286 

Two  Friends, 

h 

Jeffersonville, 

1833 

130 

Tom  Bowline, 

h 

Portland, 

1833 

100 

Tiskilwa, 

h 

Kenawa, 

le34 

100 

Tuscahoma, 

h 

Tuscumbia, 

h 

Marietta, 

1835 

82 

Tempest, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1835 

112 

Teclie, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

1835 

152 

Tuskina, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1835 

208 

United  States, 

I 

Jeffersonville, 

181^ 

044 

1824 

Uncle  Sam, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1829 

500 

1835 

Worn  out. 

Uncas, 

h 

1830 

90 

Name  changed  to  Columbus 

Union, 

h 

Williamsport, 

1831 

134 

Utility, 

h 

Louisville, 

J  831 

59 

[built. 

Vesuvius, 

Pittsburgh, 

1814 

390 

1821 

Worn  out.  Burnt,  1816,  and  re- 

Vesta, 

Cincinnati, 

181*? 

100 

1821 

Worn  out. 

Volcano, 

h 

New  Albany, 

1818 

217 

1822 

Worn  out. 

Virginia, 

h 

Wheeling, 

1819 

150 

1822 

Snagged,  near  Ste.  Genevieve 

Vulcan, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

1819 

258 

1824 

Worn  out. 

Velocipede, 

I 

Louisville, 

1819 

100 

1824 

Worn  out. 

Velocipede, 

I 

Cincinnati, 

1824 

109 

Virginia, 

I 

do. 

1826 

122 

Victory, 
Virginian, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1829 

100 

1832 

Sunk 

h 

Cincinnati, 

1829 

90 

Venture, 

Volunteer, 

Steubenville, 

Sunk. 

Volant, 

k 

Cincinnati, 

1830 

80 

1833 

Burnt. 

Vermilion, 

h 

do. 

1830 

130 

Versailles, 

h 

do. 

1831 

80 

Vincennes, 

h 

Vincennes, 

1832 

100 

Veteran, 

h 

Mason  co.  Ky. 

1833 

8fi 

Van  Buren, 

h 

Pittsburgh, 

1833 

90 

Velocipede, 

h 

Cincinnati, 

1832 

120 

Washington, 

A 

Wheeling, 

1815 

212 

1822 

Worn  out. 

West.  Enwineei 

Pittsburgh, 

1^19 

30 

1822 

Worn  out. 

Wheeling  Pack* 

•t, 

Wheeling, 

1819 

100 

1823 

Worn  out. 

William  Perm, 

Pittsburgh, 

1825 

150 

1828 

Snagged. 

William  Tell, 

// 

New  Richmond 

1826 

«.I0 

1829 

Worn  out. 

Warrior, 

h 

Marietta, 

1826 

150 

Walk  in  the  water 

New  York, 

1826 

425 

Wm.  D.  Duncan 

,h 

Pittsburgh, 

1827 

100 

Worn  out. 

Waverlev, 

I 

Cincinnati, 

1828 

100 

WESTERN    STEAMBOATS. 


263 


Names. 

Where  built. 

r.  tr 

—  -. 

"3 

c 
a 
a 

JIKI 

Data  l 

How  destroyed. 

Walter  Scott, 

A 

( iiacinuati, 

Win-. 

1 

do. 

1830 

fO 

1831 

Sunk  by  ice. 

W.  M.Virginian, A 

Wheeling, 

I  -J  1 

;i(t 

1831 

Sunk  by  ico. 

W  itehman, 

A 

Brownsi  nle, 

1830 

129 

Wanderer, 

A 

New  Albany, 

1830 

I8fl 

Wm.  Wallace, 

A 

Portland, 

1831 

90 

Winnebago, 

A 

j  Beaver, 

1830 

85 

Woodsman, 

A 

Pittsburgh, 

1831 

Whale,  Tow  B 

A 

Marietta, 

1832 

312 

Wm.  T.  Barry. 

A 

<  'mriiiiiati, 

1832 

155 

Destroyed  on  Lake  Ponehart 

t, 

Warrior, 

A 

Pittsburgh, 

I83S 

no 

Water  Wit oli, 

A 

Nashville, 

1833 

120 

1833 

Sunk  near  Plaquemine, 

Wm.  Parsons, 

A 

Ripley, 

1831 

lit. 

Wyoming, 

A 

Augusta, 

IK<-_> 

105 

Warsaw, 

A 

Wheeling, 

1832 

I4t. 

Wabash, 

A 

New  Albany, 
Jeffersonville, 

1821 

130 

Waterloo, 

A 

1833 

KM) 

William  Pcnn, 

A 

Beaver, 

1833 

88 

Warren, 

A 

Cincinnati, 

1833 

300 

Workey, 

A 

do. 

l  — :  *  J 

llf 

Changed  to  Friend. 

Washington, 

Bridgeport, 

1834 

145 

Wacousta, 

Steubenville, 

1KW 

107 

Woodsman, 

Pittsburgh, 

i«:«    98 

Wave, 

Cincinnati, 

18351  Ml 

Comparative  view  of  the  number  of  Steam  Boats  built  at 

different  places. 


Pittsburgh,     - 
Cincinnati,     - 
Louisville, 
New  Albany, 
Brownsville, 
Wheeling, 
Marietta, 
Steubenville,  - 
JetV'Tsonville, 
Nashville, 
Portsmouth,  • 
Cumberland  River 
Beaver,  • 
Ripley,  - 
Elizabethtown, 
Bridgeport,     - 
New  Orleans, 
Silver  Creek, 
Shousetown,  - 
Portland, 
Fredericksburg, 
Big  Bone, 
Kentucky  River, 
Gallipot  is, 
Brush  Creek, 


173  Newport, 

104  Frankfort,       - 

33  New  Richmond, 

32  St.  Louis, 

22  Grave  Creek, 

10  Big  Sandy,     - 

18  Augusta, 

12  Richmond, 

10  Aurora, 

8  Clarksville,    - 

7  Licking  River, 

7  Zanesville,     • 

7  Salt  River,     - 

6  Southland, 

6  Maysville, 

6  Morgantown, 

5  Rockville, 

5  Lawrenceburgh, 

4  Rifling  Sun,    - 

4  Warren, 

3  Economy, 

3  Kenawa, 

3  Williamsport, 
3 
2 


2 
2 
2 


T7ie  proportions  oftAe  above  to  the  several  States  in  wAieA  Steamboats  are  built 
fortAe  H'estcrn  waters,  are  nearly  as  follows : 


Ohio,  - 

Pennsylvania, 
Kentucky,  • 
Indiana, 


226 

210 

50 

47 


Virginia, 
Tennessee, 
Other  places, 


22 
14 

7 

568 


264  TRADE  AND  COMMERCE. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Trade  and  Commerce. 

After  the  view  that  we  have  given  of  the  vast  extent  of 
the  western  plain,  the  great  magnitude  and  variety  of  its 
resources,  and  the  remarkable  facilities  for  commercial 
intercourse  afforded  by  its  numerous  rivers,  it  may  be  al- 
most superfluous  to  remark  that  its  business  operations  are 
valuable  and  widely  ramified.  Yet  it  is  impossible  to  at- 
tempt any  thing  beyond  general  observations  on  this  inte- 
resting subject,  as  the  details  would  be  too  numerous  to  be 
crowded  into  a  single  volume.  From  the  number  of  steam 
boats  which  we  have  shewn  to  be  in  the  employ  of  the 
mercantile  community,  some  inference  may  be  drawn,  in 
relation  to  the  magnitude  of  the  capital  invested  ;  but  any 
calculation  made  from  these  data  alone,  would  fall  far  short 
of  the  truth,  and  would  afford  an  inadequate  idea  of  the 
various  resources  of  a  country  whose  superficial  limits  are 
estimated  by  thousands  of  miles,  whose  population  is 
counted  by  millions,  and  whose  inhabitants  are  unsurpassed 
in  industry,  enterprise,  and  intelligence.  The  changes 
are  so  rapid  as  to  mock  any  attempt  to  catch  the  features 
of  the  landscape,  or  to  follow  up  the  gigantic  strides  of 
moral  and  physical  improvement.  While  this  work  has 
been  passing  through  the  press  fifty  steam  boats  have 
been  launched  into  our  waters,  and  already  our  list  is  de- 
fective to  that  amount. 

Eight  years  ago  the  ground  on  which  Chicago  stands 
could  have  been  purchased,  for  a  sum  which  is  now  de- 
manded for  a  front  of  six  feet  on  one  of  the  streets  of  that 
town. 

About  the  same  time  the  author  was  offered  a  lot  in 
Alton,  {ox  Jive  dollars,  which  is  now  probably  worth  two 
thousand  dollars. 


TRADE    AND  COMMERCE.  265 

In  1830  a  consignment  of  goods  for  "  Beardstown.  Illi- 
nois," was  Landed  by  mistake  at  Shauneetown,  in  the  same 
state,  where  they  remained  for  some  time,  because  it  was 
not  known  where  Beardstown  was.  They  had  heard  of 
Beard's  ferry,  on  the  Illinois  river,  and  knew  itsexactpo- 
sition,  and  were  not  a  little  surprised  to  hear  that  a  town 
had  suddenly  started  into  existence,  between  which  and 
St.  Louis  several  steam  boats  were  regularly  plying,  be 
fore  even  its  name  was  known  to  the  people  residing  on 
the  shores  of  the  Ohio. 

The  important  cities  of  the  west  are  Pittsburgh,  Cirt 
cinnati,  Louisville,  Nashville,  Detroit,  and  St.  Louis — yet 
there  are  fifty  other  towns,  in  a  prosperous  condition, 
which  are  considered  as  rivals  of  those  we  have  named, 
by  their  inhabitants,  who  would  doubtless  feel  indignant, 
at  the  exclusion  of  their  names  from  the  above  list.  But 
it  is  not  our  object  to  draw  comparisons  ;  and  as  we  are 
not  writing  a  gazetteer,  we  cannot  enumerate  the  various 
commercial  points  of  this  region,  nor  speak  of  the  advan- 
tages of  each. 

The  cities  above  mentioned  are  those  of  the  first  class, 
but  a  large  number  of  towns  are  rising  rapidly  into  impor- 
tance, and  already  enjoying  a  liberal  share  of  the  trade  of 
the  west.  We  shall  not  enumerate  these,  as  we  could  not 
do  justice  to  all,  and  would  be  unwilling  to  give  offence 
by  omitting  any  which  might  be  deserving  of  notice 

Pittsburgh  and  Cincinnati  are  the  most  important  man- 
ufacturing towns.  At  these  places  chiefly,  steam-boats 
are  built,  and  engines  made  for  a  variety  of  purposes. 
Some  idea  of  the  vast  amount  of  machinery  manufactured 
at  those  points,  may  be  formed  from  the  facts,  that  steam 
mills  for  grinding  wheat  are  now  becoming  scattered  over 
the  whole  west — that  steam  machinery  is  used  very 
generally  in  the  preparation  of  cotton  and  sugar — and  that 
it  is  rapidly  taking  the  place  of  water  and  horse  power, 
in  various  branches  of  manufacture.     At  these  places  are 

X 


266  TRADE    AND  COMMERCE. 

also  made,  almost  all  of  the  heavy  articles,  which  are  fa 
bricated  from  iron.  From  their  work  shops  the  vast  regions 
which  include  a  dozen  states,  are  supplied  with  wagons, 
carts  , ploughs,  harness,  and  all  farming  implements — with 
chairs  and  cabinet  work  of  every  description — with  tin 
ware — with  printing  presses  and  types — with  saddlery, 
shoes,  and  hats — with  a  large  amount  of  books — and  with 
a  variety  of  other  articles. 

In  the  states  of  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  and  Missouri, 
but  little  is  manufactured,  because  the  slaves,  who  are 
the  only  laborers,  do  not  possess  the  kind  of  ingenuity, 
necessary  to  make  them  valuable  mechanics.  In  Kentucky 
there  are  manufactories  of  hempen  bagging,  tobacco,  and 
whiskey,  and  in  Tennessee  are  valuable  iron  works. 
Further  south  the  industry  of  the  several  states  is  almost 
entirely  devoted  to  the  production  of  Cotton  and  Sugar ; 
and  the  vast  supplies  of  manufactured  articles  needed  for 
a  wealthy,  energetic,  and  highly  refined  community,  are 
drawn  from  more  northern  latitudes.  They  import  all  their 
machinery,  their  tools,  their  furniture,  and  a  large  portion 
of  all  that  they  wear,  or  eat.  Of  these  immense  supplies 
Pittsburgh  and  Cincinnati  furnish  the  greater  portion — but 
not  the  whole.  The  country  lying  around  the  head  of  the 
Ohio,  of  which  Pittsburgh  may  be  considered  as  the  cen- 
tre, and  the  commercial  metropolis,  possesses  an  incalcu- 
lable amount  of  the  facilities  for  manufacturing,  such  as 
timber,  coal,  water  power,  and  raw  materials,  while  it  oc- 
cupies a  commanding  position  at  the  head  of  navigation. 
Brownsville,  Williamsport,  Elizabethtown,  Economy, 
Beaver,  Steubenville,  and  a  number  of  other  towns,  are 
actively  engaged  in  manufactures,  and  contribute  to  the 
wealth  of  Pittsburgh. 

As  we  descend  the  Ohio,  the  country  becomes  more 
fertile,  and  its  agricultural  products  abundant.  Wheeling 
like  Pittsburgh,  derives  its  business,  partly  from  manufac- 
tures, partly   from   transportation   of  merchandise    from 


TRADK     AND    COMMERCE.  2(»7 

east  to  west,  and  partly  from  commerce;  but  between 
that  plaee  and  Cincinnati,  the  towns,  such  as  Marietta, 
Portsmouth  and  Maysville,  are  more  engaged  in  die  ship- 
ment of  produce  than  in  mechanical  employments. 

Louisville,  Nashville,  and  St.  Louis,  have  no  manufac- 
tures WOTthy of  being  mentioned  in  comparison  with  tic 
of  Pittsburgh  and  Cincinnati  ;  but  this  remark,  is  not 
made  invidiously,  or  as  affording  any  ground  for  the  infer- 
ence, which  casual  observers  have  often  drawn,  that  the 
former  cities  possess  less  wealth  or  enterprise.  It  shews 
simply  that  their  industry  is  directed  in  different  channels. 
They  are  altogether  commercial,  and  their  wealth  is  em- 
ployed in  the  interchange  of  the  various  commodity  b 
which  enter  into  the  traffic  of  this  vast  region — chiefly  in 
the  importation  of  merchandise  from  New  Orleans,  and 
the  eastern  cities,  and  the  shipment  of  western  produce 
to  the  southern  and  Atlantic  markets. 

It  is  a  question  often  discussed,  and  which  we  shall  not 
attempt  to  settle,  which  of  these  cities  is  preeminent  in 
wealth  and  business.  The  dispute  is  unprofitable,  and  it 
is  to  be  hoped  that  it  may  remain  undecided  ;  for  there  is 
no  sober  or  practical  view  of  the  question,  in  which  they 
can  be  considered  as  rivals.  Neither  of  them  can  by  its 
growth  overshadow  another,  or  drain  its  resources.  Sep- 
arated by  wide  tracts  of  country,  and  each  the  centre  of 
a  vast  circle,  daily  augmenting  in  population,  we  can 
ecarcely  imagine  any  series  of  events  which  can  change 
the  relations  of  these  cities  to  the  whole  country  or  to 
each  other.  Rapidly  as  they  are  advancing,  their  growth 
bears  no  proportion  to  that  which  must  take  place  in  the 
regions  around  them,  of  which  they  are  respectively  the 
marts  ;  and  smaller  places  of  business  are  becoming  es- 
tablished, to  supply  the  wants  of  the  country. — but  still 
tributary  to  the  larger  cities,  which  form  the  arterial 
channels  of  our  commerce,  and  whose  prosperity  is  equal- 
ly essential  to  the  whole  country,  and  to  each  other. 


268  TRADE  AND  COMMERCE. 

In  selecting  a  few  facts  in  relation  to  the  business  of  Cin  - 
cinnati,  for  the  purpose  of  illustrating  the  general  subject 
before  us,  it  is  not  intended  to  give  prominence  to  this  ci- 
ty in  preference  to  the  others.  We  collect  our  facts  here 
because  this  is  the  place  of  our  residence,  and  the  data 
are  more  readily  obtained,  than  similar  details  respecting 
distant  places ;  nor  can  we  discharge  this  part  of  our  task 
better  than  by  extracting  the  following  remarks  from  an 
interesting  article  written  by  Benjamin  Drake  Esquire  of 
this  city,  and  published  in  the  Western  Monthly  Magazine. 
"  Cincinnati  is  built  upon  an  elevated    and    beautiful 
plane,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Ohio  river,  in  latitude  39° 
6'  30".  From  the  junction  of  the  Alleghany  and  Mononga- 
hela  rivers,  following  the  meanders  of  the  Ohio,  it  is  dis- 
tant 455  miles,  and  from  the  union  of  the  Ohio  and  Mis- 
sissippi,   504  miles.       Over    land    it    is    distant    from 
Columbus,    the    capital    of  the    state,    110    miles:  from 
Sandusky  City,  200  miles  ;  from  Indianapolis,  120  miles  ; 
from  Fran1,  fort,  85  miles;  from  Nashville,  270  miles  ;  from 
Natchez,  680  miles  ;  from  New-Orleans,  860  miles  ;  from 
St.  Louis,  350  miles  ;  from  Louisville,  105  miles  ;  from 
Baltimore,  518  miles  ;  from  Philadelphia,  617  miles  ;  from 
Washington  City,  500  miles;  from  New-York,  by  theway 
of  Lake  Erie,  900  miles  ;  and  from  Charleston,  600  miles. 
The  valley  in  which  Cincinnati,  Newport  and  Covington 
are  built,  is  about  12  miles  in  circumference.     The  Ohio 
river  enters  this  valley  on  the  east,  and  passes  out  on  the 
west  side.     The  southern  half  of  it  is  bisected  by  Lick- 
ing river,  which  disembogues  itself  into  the  Ohio  oppo- 
site   Cincinnati,    separating   the   towns   of  Newport  and 
Covington.     The   upper  plane  on  which  Cincinnati  is 
built,  is  540  feet  above  tide  water  at  Albany,  and  25  feet 
below  the  level  of  Lake  Erie.  Low  water  mark  in  the  Ohio, 
at  this  point,  is  432  feet  above  tide  water  at  Albany,  and  133 
feet  below  Lake  Erie.  The  shores  of  the  Ohio  at  this  point, 
:.irord  good   landing  for  boats  at  all  seasons  of  the  year, 


TRADE  AND  COMMERCE.  20'.' 

u  In  1826  the  manufacturing  industry  of  Cincinnati, 
alone,  amounted,  according  to  an  accurate  atatistical  ex- 
amination, to  1,800,000  dollars,  in  I  population  of  16,230 
persons.  At  that  time  there  were  not  more  than  fifteen 
6team  engines  employed  in  manufactures  in  the  city. 
There  are  now  upwards  of  50  in  successful  operation, 
besides  four  or  five  in  Newport  and  Covington.  More 
than  100  steam  engines,  about  240  cotton  gins,  upwards 
of  20  sugar  mills,  and  22  steam-boats — many  of  them  of 
the  largest  size — have  been  built  or  manufactured  in  Cin- 
cinnati,  during  the  year  1835.  If  then,  in  the  year  1826, 
with  a  population  of  but  16,230,  the  manufacturing  in- 
dustry of  Cincinnati  was  1,800,000  dollars,  it  is  perfectly 
safe,  with  the  facts  before  us,  to  place  the  productive  in- 
dustry for  the  year  1835,  of  Cincinnati,  Newport,  and 
Covington,  with  their  population  of  35,000  souls  at 
5,000,000  of  dollars.  The  truth  is  that  Cincinnati  and 
her  sister  towns,  are  mainly  indebted  to  their  manufactures 
for  the  steady  and  onward  prosperity  which  marks  their 
career.  Fortunately  they  have  but  few,  if  any,  overgrown 
manufacturing  establishments,  but  a  large  number  of  small 
ones,  confided  to  individual  enterprise  and  personal  super- 
intendence. These  are  distributed  among  all  classes  of 
the  population,  and  produce  a  great  variety  of  articl.  - 
which  minister  to  the  wants,  the  comforts  and  luxuries,  of 
the  people  in  almost  every  part  of  the  Mississippi  valley. 
In  truth,  with  the  exception  of  Pittsburgh,  there  is  no 
city  in  the  West  or  South,  that,  in  its  manufactures  and 
manufacturing  capabilities,  bears  any  approach  to  Cincin- 
nati and  her  associate  towns. 

"  The  region  inseparably  connected  with,  and  depen- 
dent upon  Cincinnati,  Newport  and  Covington,  as  their 
great  commercial  and  manufacturing  mart,  embraces  the 
country  bordering  on  the  two  Miami  rivers,  the  eastern 
portion  of  Indiana,  and  the  adjoining  parts  of  Kentucky, 
including  the  valley  of  Licking  river.     It  may  be  estima- 

x  2 


270  TRADE   AND    COMMERCE. 

ted  to  contain  10,000,000  acres  of  land,  having  within 
itself  the  capabilities  of  sustaining  4,000,000  of  inhabi- 
tants. This  rich  and  salubrious  region  is  traversed  by 
the  Ohio,  Licking,  and  Great  and  Little  Miami  rivers,  all 
of  them  navigable  to  some  extent,  and  the  two  last  emi- 
nently adapted  to  manufacturing  purposes.  It  is  a  region 
which  produces  abundantly  wheat,  corn,  barley,  hops,  oats, 
hemp,  tobacco,  horses,  mules,  sheep,  cattle  and  hogs,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  various  mineral  products,  which  lie 
beneath  the  soil,  and  the  fine  timber  which  rests  upon  it. 

"The  progressive  increase  of  population  in  Cincinnati 
will  appear  from  the  following  table.  In  1810,  there 
were  2,320  inhabitants — in  1813,  there  were  4,000 — in 
1819,  there  were  10,000 — in  1824,  there  were  12.016, 
— in  1826,  there  were  16,230 — at  the  present  time,  it  may 
be  safely  placed  at  31,000.  If  to  this  be  added  the  pop- 
ulation of  Newport  and  Covington,  the  aggregate  popula- 
tion will  equal  35,000. 

"  For  the  want  of  the  proper  commercial  regulations, 
the  exports  and  imports  from  this  point,  annually,  cannot 
be  given  with  entire  accuracy.  At  the  close  of  the  year 
1826,  the  writer  of  this  article,  by  a  laborious  examina- 
tion, ascertained  that  the  exports  of  that  year  were 
about  1,000,000  of  dollars  in  value.  A  similar  enquiry 
induced  him  to  place  the  exports  of  1832  at  4,000,000. 
For  the  year  1835,  he  feels  no  hesitation  in  placing  them 
at  6,000,000,  or  upwards.  This  estimate  is  based  upon 
the  following  facts  and  considerations. 

"  The  general  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  city  and 
surrounding  country  for  the  last  few  years  ;  the  increasing 
amount  of  tolls  on  the  Miami  canal  ;  the  enlarged  num- 
ber  and  variety  of  manufacturing  establishments  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Newport  and  Covington,  within  the  last  four 
years;  the  arrival  in  Cincinnati  during  the  greater  part  of 
the  year  1835  of  fifty  stages  and  sixty  mails  per  week  ; 
the  steam-boat  arrivals  at  our  quay,  for  the  last  year,  be- 


TRADE    AM)    COM  M  i.IU.E.  271 

ing  2,237  ;  the  receipt  during  the  same  period  in  this  ci- 
ty of  90,000  barrel!  of  Hour,  and  55,000  barrels  of 
Whiskey  ;  and  finally  from  the  fact  that,  in  the  winter  of 
1832-3,  there  were  85,000  hogfl  slaughtered  in  Cincin- 
nati— in  1833-4,  something  rising  123,000 — while  in 
1834-5,  (the  whole  of  which,  with  those  brought  to  this 
place  in  wagons  and  by  the  canal,  went  into  the  export* 
of  the  past  year,)  the  number  was  102,000.  If  from 
these  we  turn  to  the  manufactures  for  the  same  period, 
embracing-  22  steam-boats,  100  steam  engines,  20  sugar 
mills,  240  cotton  gins,  besides  the  varied  products  of  our 
countless  factories  in  iron,  wood,  cotton,  leather,  hemp, 
oil,  lumber,  furs,  &c.  &c,  it  is  perfectly  obvious  that  the 
exports  from  Cincinnati,  Newport  and  Covington,  for  the 
year  1835  have  been  above,  rather  than  below,  0,000,000 
of  dollars. 

"  It  is  to  be  borne  in  mind,  that  Cincinnati,  Newport 
and  Covington  have  attained  their  present  population, 
commerce  and  manufactures,  without  the  aid  of  any  work 
of  internal  improvement,  but  that  of  the  Miami  canal,  and 
two  Macadam  turnpikes,  one  running  sixteen  miles  to- 
wards Columbus,  and  the  other  twelve  miles  towards 
Lebanon.  Let  us  now  see  what  improvements  of  this 
kind  are  projected  or  actually  in  progress,  the  completion 
of  which  will  directly  and  powerfully  aid  in  their  growth. 
1.  The  extension  of  the  Miami  canal  from  Dayton  to  the 
Maumee  Bay,  a  part  of  which  will  be  completed  early  in 
the  ensuing  summer.  2.  A  Macadam  turnpike  from 
Chillicothe  to  Cincinnati,  a  part  of  which  is  under  con- 
tract. 3.  The  continuation  of  the  Cincinnati,  Columbus, 
andWooster,  and  the  Cincinnati,  Lebanon  and  Springfield 
turnpikes,  portions  of  which  have  alreadv  been  construc- 
ted. 4.  The  Cincinnati  ami  Harrison  turnpike,  leading 
to  the  boundary  line  between  Ohio  and  Indiana,  a  distance 
of  twenty  miles,  which  will  be  completed  early  in  the 
present  year,  and  hereafter  continued  to  Brook ville,  Indiana. 


272  TRADE  AND  COMMERCE. 

5.  A  Macadam  turnpike  from  Covington  to  Georgetown 
and  Lexington,  which  is  now  constructing.  6.  A  canal, 
the  construction  of  which  is  already  authorized,  from  the 
sources  of  White  Water,  to  Lawrenceburg,  crossing  the 
line  between  Ohio  and  Indiana  into  the  county  of  Ham- 
ilton,  and  thence  branching  to  this  city.  7.  The  rail- 
road now  making  from  Lawrenceburg,  twenty  miles  west 
of  Cincinnati,  to  Indianapolis,  and  the  rail-road  already 
authorised,  to  connect  Lawrenceburg  with  this  city.  8. 
The  extension  of  the  Cumberland  road  through  Ohio  and 
Indiana,  crossing  the  Miami  canal,  and  the  routes  of  sev- 
eral of  the  turnpikes  already  enumerated,  as  they  diverge 
to  the  north,  from  this  city.  9.  The  rail-road  running 
from  this  place  up  the  valley  of  the  Little  Miami,  and 
branching  at  Todd's  fork,  one  track  passing  on  to  Xenia, 
and  connecting  with  the  Mad-river  and  Sandusky  rail-road, 
(now  constructing)  at  Springfield,  and  the  other  stretching 
north-eastwardly  to  Columbus,  and  thence  to  Lake  Erie, 
at  Cleveland.  And  finally,  the  great  rail-road  between 
this  city  and  Charleston,  the  most  magnificent  and  im- 
portant public  work  that  has  yet  been  projected  in  our 
country.  This  road  stretching  through  the  states  of 
Kentucky,  Tennessee,  and  South  Carolina,  with  branch- 
es passing  off  into  Georgia  and  North  Carolina  in  the 
south,  and  in  the  north  sending  a  branch  to  Louisville,  and 
another  to  Maysville,  with  the  main  track  connecting  at 
this  point  with  the  rail-roads  running  from  Cincinnati  to 
Indianapolis,  and  from  Cincinnati  to  Sandusky  and  Cleve- 
land on  the  lake,  and  also  with  the  Miami  canal,  must  of 
itself  exert  a  degree  of  influence  upon  the  future  destiny  of 
Cincinnati,  Newport  and  Covington,  that  it  is  difficult  to 
appreciate. 

"  These  are  works  of  internal  improvement  that  are  al- 
ready begun  or  projected.  They  are  all  practicable — 
they  will  all  be  executed  in  less  than  six  years  from  this 
time.     The  most   difficult,  expensive,  and   at   first  view 


I 
TRADE   ANDCOMMIIKE.  273 

unlikely  to  be  accomplished,  is  thai  from  the  valley  of 
the  Ohio  to  the  southern  seaboard,  yet  we  find  that  in  less 
than  five  months  from  the  time  when  public  attention  was 
first  called  to  it.  in  this  city,  the  states  of  South  and  North 
Carolina,  Georgia,  Tennessee,  Kentucky, and  Ohio,  are 
alive  to  its  speedy  execution.  And  who  can  doubt  that 
the  people  of  these  powerful* enlightened  and  prosperous 
states,  v  ill  accomplish  within  a  few  years  s  work,  which 
will  bestow  upon  them  in  all  coming  time,  so  rich  a  har- 
vest of  social,  political,  and  pecuniary  blessings  ? 

"Fully  to  comprelu  nd  the  influence  which  these  vari- 
ous works  will  exert  upon  Cincinnati,  Newport,  and 
Covington,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  these  places 
are  near  the  centre  of  the  largest  and  most  fertile  grain- 
growing  region  in  the  world;  that  these  woiks  of  inter- 
nal improvement,  will  traverse  this  district  in  a  manner 
calculated  to  concentrate  at  this  point,  an  immense  amount 
of  business;  that  in  connection  with  this  grain-growing 
region  are  exhaustless  beds  of  iron,  salt,  coal,  and  other 
valuable  minerals  ;  that  the  climate  is  salubrious,  and  the 
temperament  of  the  people  active,  ingenious  and  enter- 
prising. The  careful  examination  of  these  things  cannot 
fail  to  convince  the  most  skeptical  that  Cincinnati,  New- 
port, and  Covington,  will  enjoy  continued  and  rapid  ad- 
vancement in  wealth  and  population. 

"Thus  far  the  physical  causes  that  are  supposed  to  be 
operative  in  building  up  this  city,  have  been  principally 
considered.  There  are  others  that  should  not  be  over- 
looked. By  recurring  to  the  habits,  taste,  and  moral  and 
intellectual  culture  of  the  population  of  Cincinnati — the 
number  of  their  literary,  scientific,  and  benevolent  insti- 
tutions— their  industry  and  enterprise — their  quiet  and 
orderly  observance  of  the  laws  and  municipal  regulations, 
it  will  be  found  that  these  important  elements  in  the  pro- 
gress and  permanent  prosperity  of  a  city,  are  strong, 
varied,  and  in  active  operation. 


274  TRADE   AND    COMMERCE. 

"We  cannot  close  this  article  without  commending  the 
taste  and  architectural  skill,  that  have  been  put  in  requisi- 
tion, in  the  construction  of  both  our  public  and  private 
buildings,  within  the  last  few  years.  Among  the  one 
hundred  and  fifty  houses  erected  in  Cincinnati,  during  the 
year  1835,  there  are  many  which  would,  in  these  partic- 
ulars, do  credit  to  any  city  in  the  Union.  This  is  more 
particularly  true  of  a  number  of  warehouses — of  St.  Paul's 
church — of  the  two  banking  houses  on  Third  street — 
and  the  ten  or  twelve  edifices  for  the  use  of  the  common 
schools,  all  of  which  are  large,  commodious  and  elegant, 
and  contribute  in  a  high  degree  to  the  adornment  of  our 
beautiful  city. 

"  Finally,  it  may  be  said,  that  Cincinnati  yields  to  no 
city  in  the  Union  in  the  inducements  which  she  presents 
to  a  residence  within  the  noble  amphitheatre  of  hills  that 
Burrounds  her.  This  is  true  in  regard  to  the  intelligence, 
and  refinement  of  society,  the  necessaries,  comforts,  and 
luxuries  of  life ;  the  moral  and  religious  character  of  her 
population  :  it  is  true  in  regard  to  the  field  which  she 
presents  for  industry  and  enterprise  in  commerce  and 
manufactures  ;  it  is  true  in  regard  to  the  opportunities  she 
presents  to  the  capitalist,  for  safe  and  profitable  invest- 
ments in  real  estate.  On  these  points  investigation  is 
challenged,  especially  the  latter  ;  for  it  is  confidently  as- 
serted that  real  estate,  at  the  present  time,  is  lower  in 
value,  in  Cincinnati,  Newport,  and  Covington,  than  any 
•city  of  the  Union,  whose  population,  business,  and  per- 
manent local  advantages,  are  of  corresponding  magnitude. 
This  single  fact  proves,  incontestibly,  that  in  the  present 
prosperity  of  these  places,  there  is  nothing  factitious,  but 
that  it  is  the  natural  result  of  those  numerous  indestructi- 
ble moral  and  physical  causes,  which,  before  the  year  1850, 
will  give  to  Cincinnati  and  her  associate  towns,  100,000 
active,  educated  and  enterprising  citizens." 

We  shall  now  place  before  the  reader  some  very  inter- 


TRADE    AND    COMMERCE.  J 7fi 

I  sting  tabular  statements,  which  here  been  carefully  com- 
piled, and  may  be  relied  upon  r\s  accurate,  ;md  which  shew, 
not  only  the  amount  and  rariety  of  articles  shipped  from 

the  western  states  to  New  Orleans,  but  the  gradual  in- 
crease from  year  to  year. 

These  tables  afford  a  most  remarkable  exhibition  of 
the  industry  of  this  region,  and  when  we  recollect  that 
we  are  contemplating  the  commerce  of  a  country  the 
whole  of  which  was  a  wilderness  forty  years  ago,  and 
the  greater  part  of  which  has  not  been  settled  by  white 
inhabitants  half  that  period,  the  mind  is  lost  in  wonder. 
^  el  they  shew  but  a  portion  of  our  wealth.  Vast  quan- 
tities of  the  produce  of  our  soil  arc  carried  from  the 
shores  of  the  northern  lakes  to  New  York — another  por- 
tion finds  its  way  to  Philadelphia  by  the  Pennsylvania 
canal — while  immense  numbers  of  horses  and  cattle  are 
driven  across  the  mountains  by  the  various  roads,  leading 
to  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Richmond,  and  other  Atlan- 
tic cities.  We  have  before  us  the  statement  of  a  gen- 
tleman, residing  in  Kentucky  on  the  road  leading  towards 
South  Carolina — a  route  comparatively  unknown  to  the 
great  mass  of  the  American  people — and  never  enumer- 
ated among  the  channels  of  trade — shewing  the  quantity 
of  live  stock  that  passed  his  door,  for  the  southern  market 
in  the  year  1835.  In  that  year  there  passed  from  Ken- 
tucky, by  this  one  road,  by  the  house  of  Mr.  James 
Renfro,  the  following  number  of  animals  : 

Horses     -    -    -    -      4,716?       ,        ,    .  ,  a„„„  «„~ 

Mules      -  j951  jprob.  val.  in  market      $533,360 

Stalled  beef-     -     -  2,485  do  do  do  104,370 

Shoats      -     -    -     -  2,887  do  do  do  1-.000 

Sheep       -     -     -     -  1,3-20  do  do  do  5,280 

Hogs 69,187  do  do  do  1,037,802 

$1,698,812 


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280 


TRADE  AND  COMMERCE. 


EXPORTS  OF  COTTON 

From  the  New  Orleans  market,  for  the  last  nine  years,  commencing 
1st  of  October,  and  ending  30th  September. 


BALES     OF      COTTON 

•■ 

• 
CO 

CO 

• 
1-H 

• 

O 

OS 

GO* 

• 

CD 

ift 

WHITHER 

CO 

CO 

CO 

CO 

CO 

CO 

CO 

CO 

CO 

1 

co 

o 

oa 

QO 

i> 

co 

\o 

Tt< 

EXPORTED. 

CO 
QO 

CO 
QO 

CO 
QO 

co 

GO 

CO 

QO 

CO 

00 

1 
182 

QO 

CO 

00 

Liverpool, 

216559 

193367 

204132 

179536 

119036 

134070 

179526 

1078J6 

92301 

London,     .     . 

336 

66 

1550 

70 

25 

Glasgow,  &c. 

8096 

622~ 

14821 

16413 

8485 

4920 

12743 

3162 

6814 

Cowes,  &c.     . 

676 

3771 

802 

60 

1083 

1270 

1929 

Cork,      .     .     . 

3137 

1492 

Belfast,  .     .     . 

3553 

883 

1443 

1637 

874 

1272 

Havre,  .     .     . 

73030 

63462 

474-16 

76022 

61968 

5*919 

52174 

58561 

30609 

Bordeaux, 

1541 

1826 

J  045 

2978 

1992 

1994 

2680 

1734 

1599 

Marseilles, 

5119 

10030 

7895 

-  9896 

11661 

4833 

3131 

1998 

242 

Nantz,    .    .     . 

2612 

2820 

*4104 

2668 

1809 

1679 

1742 

1467 

384 

St.Valery.     . 

53 

707 

Oette  &.  Rouen, 

370 

1175 

940 

374 

Amsterdam,    . 

50 

392 

226 

899 

1563 

661 

898 

977 

Rotterdam,  &c. 

70 

34 

38 

729 

516 

Flushing,    .     . 

1039 

Bremen,     .     . 

926 

1026 

401 

323 

831 

1525 

1900 

773 

Antwerp,  &c. 

370 

2358 

5101 

1379 

4683 

1865 

Hamburg,  .     . 

1176 

1870 

2049 

499 

4180 

3806 

1651 

335 

723 

Gottenberg,     . 

1186 

695 

235 

100 

201 

1J5 

147 

34 

50 

Gibraltar.  &.c. 

131 

Spain,     .     .     . 

1615 

4562 

602 

85 

West  Indies,  . 

to 

4 

Q 

70 

6 

Genoa,  &.c. 

1190 

1794 

1136 

5095 

1379 

Other  ports,    . 

New  York,     . 

31497 

24955 

55737 

30915 

50009 

38486 

37207 

36839 

51810 

Boston,       .     . 

28868 

25078 

36327 

13686 

12333 

200C6 

9815 

11903 

7439 

Providence,     . 

13651 

46  1 

20709 

45' 0 

3570 

13709 

69.2 

8832 

4804 

Philadelphia, . 

72.  9 

4007 

1061)7 

4277 

3449 

9921 

9265 

5172 

3260 

Baltimore, 

4743 

16  14 

5750 

15ti0 

1164 

2744 

3155 

3053 

1733 

Portsmouth,   . 

4760 

334 

5593 

Coastwise, 

3465 

520 
356406 

363 

1128 

492 

1381 

389 

310 

TOT  AT, - 

107220 

42-1681 

351890 

26'  949 

30R'8 

329682 

25 ' 92 J 

204557 

RECAPITULATION. 


G.  Britain,     . 

225667 I 

203365 

223374 

196892 

130514 

142546 

19  5  9 

116918 

101904 

France,     .     . 

82302 

78138 

60913 

93446 

78370 

6S-.2i 

60  0' 

63760 

£2834 

N.  of  Europe. 

3338 

4423 

2911 

42 1 3 

1295 

8215 

9279 

4500 

773 

S.  of  Edrope, 

1690 

5752 

2  00 

122 

5»95 

i:  79 

137 

Coastwise,    . 

94223 

6472^ 

135086 

56116 

4101" 

86283 

6676' 

66609 

69046 

TOT  \T,- 

W7226 

35640') 

42-1684 

35189.. 

26*9  9 

•■048-  8 

329682 

25192-i 

204557 

TRADE    AND    COMMERCE. 


281 


EXPORTS  OF  TOBACCO 

From  New  Orleans,  for  the  last  nine  years,  commencing  1st  of 
October,  and  ending  30th  September. 


H  H  D  S 

.     OF     TOBACCO 

• 

• 
00 

co 

• 

• 

O 

Oi 

00 

J> 

eo 

VT5 

WHITHER 

CO 

CO 

CO 

CO 

CO 

CO 

CO 

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CO 

CO 

_ 

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OS 

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i> 

«o 

m 

Tf 

EXPORTED. 

1 

183 

CO 
00 

CO 
00 

CO 

00 

CO 
00 

CO 

00 

CO 
00 

CO 
QO 

CO 
QO 

Liverpool, 

1189 

1490 

2C31 

819 

801 

1322 

11G0 

1589 

1567 

London,     .     . 

1422 

346 

637 

1082 

1222 

411 

Glasgow,  &c. 

Cowes,  &c.     . 

2264 

6612 

2863 

973 

2684 

2856 

1666 

300 

652 

Cork,      .     .     . 

342 

Belfast,  .    .     . 

36 

Havre,  .     .    . 

20 

506 

58 

325 

130 

ir6 

549 

Bordeaux, 

10 

70 

200 

119 

100 

2i6 

203 

16 

Marseilles, 

7 

18 

60 

Nantz,    .    .     . 

5 

St.Valery.     . 

Cette  &  Rouen, 

Amsterdam,   . 

187 

889 

699 

1029 

1720 

1276 

1225 

901 

Rotterdam,  &c. 

426 

289 

681 

324 

Flushing,    .     . 

Bremen,     .    . 

2129 

3265 

2364 

3024 

1186 

3458 

2271 

1421 

137 

Antwerp,  &c. 

492 

389 

6 

256 

Hamburg,  .     . 

6:6 

1431 

1238 

95 

95 

978 

353 

80 

487 

Gottenberg,    . 

876 

757 

225 

326 

407 

558 

334 

259 

478 

Gibraltar,  &c. 

134 

300 

145 

3498 

2327 

1963 

2166 

Spain,    .     .     . 

189 

920 

1834 

5297 

791.2 

201 

West  Indies,  . 

82 

375 

417 

1047 

98 

746 

436 

636 

193 

Genoa,  &.c. 

19 

101 

143 

50 

Other  ports,    . 

5 

273 

30 

New  York,     . 

6816 

7863 

1P099 

7185 

5197 

9045 

9?22 

5043 

6620 

Boston,       .    . 

3037 

2602 

3970 

3219 

713 

6211 

2742 

3175 

1366 

Providence,    . 

1 

35 

251 

71 

384 

Philadelphia, . 

1518 

2968 

2193 

2764 

1433 

2135 

2370 

1921 

1287 

Baltimore, 

217 

418 

862 

520 

475 

749 

857 

700 

185 

Portsmouth,  . 

42 

Coastwise, 

2459 

1540 
'   32974 

1054 

292 

856 

334 

480 

421 

231 

TOTAL— 

23701 

34968 

2t028 

25491 

35111 

26570 

18480 

16849 

RECAPITULATION. 


G.  Britain,     . 

4875 

8448 

6131 

1792 

4567 

5400 

28r2 

1889 

3008 

France,     .     . 

35 

5"6 

258 

451 

2.0 

:82 

770 

76 

N.  OK  Ecropk, 

4320 

7157 

4815 

5161 

3732 

6526 

4181' 

2661 

1102 

S.  OF  EUROPE, 

424 

1401 

3524 

Ciii4  1 

8288 

4294 

276: 

2599 

2590 

Coastwise,    . 

14047 

1592 

212^0 

i:98u 

867  4 

18509 

6022 

11331 

10073 

TOTAL— 

23701 

32974 

34968 

28028 

2549 1 

35111 

265"  0 

18480 

16849 

Y  2 


282 


TRAPE    AND    COMMERCE. 


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284 


TRADE    AND    COMMERCE. 


Arrivals,  Exports  and  Stocks  of  Cotton  and  Tobacco,  in  the  Port 
of  New  Orleans,  for  the  last  nine  years — -from  1st  of  October, 
to  30th  September. 


COTTON. 

TOBACCO. 

Years. 

Arrivals. 

Exports. 

Stocks. 

Arrivals. 

Exports. 

Stocks. 

Bales. 

Bales. 

Bales. 

Hhds. 

Hhds. 

Hhds. 

1832-33 

410  04 

407220 

9457 

22074 

23701 

1430 

1831-32 

3497.'7 

356406 

7088 

30015 

32974 

3257 

1830-31 

428876 

424684 

13697 

32708 

34968 

6416 

1823-30 

363641 

35! 890 

9505 

33781 

2^028 

9492 

1828-29 

269571 

267949 

5557 

21432 

25491 

4239 

1827-28 

298042 

304848 

4365 

30224 

35111 

648 

1826-27 

337934 

329682 

11171 

31704 

26570 

6442 

1825-26 

251983 

251924 

3030 

19385 

18480 

1862 

1824-25 

206793 

204557 

3737 

18409 

16849 

1332 

Monthly  arrivals  of  Flour,  in  the  Port  of  New  Orleans,  from  1st 
October  to  30th  September,  1832—33,  taken  from  the  Books  of 
the  Inspectors. 


October, bbls.  7656 

November "  32266 

December, "  213T0 

January, "  37954 

February, "  23260 

March "  24047 


April, bbls.     26059 


May, 
June,     .     . 
July,      .     . 
August, 
September, 


23404 
30928 
9164 
23893 
12718 


LIST  OF  BANKS. 


•>$* 


LIST  OF  BANKS  IN  OHIO. 


Names  of  Banks. 


J I 'here 
situated. 


Capital  i    Capital 

author*      paid  in 

ized.      Dec.  1837 


Niamea  of 

Cashiers. 


Lancaster    Ohio 

Bank, 
Bk.  of  Marietta, 
Western         Re- 
serve Bunk, 
Belmont  Bank  of 
St  Clairsville, 
Rk.of  Masstllon, 
Bank  of  Circle- 

ville, 
Bank  of  Muskin- 
gum, 
Commercial  Bk. 

of  Scioto, 
Clinton  Bank  of 

Columbus, 
Farmer's    Bunk 

of  Canton, 
Dayton  Bank, 
Bank  of  Geauga, 
Franklin     Bank 
of  Cincinnati, 
Bank  of  Zanes- 

ville, 
Franklin     Bank 
of  Columbus, 
Ohio     Life     In- 
surance     and 
Trust  Co. 
Bk.  of  Norwalk, 
Columbiana  Bk. 

New  Lisbon, 
Granville    Alex- 
andrian Socie 
tv  Bank, 
Bank  of  Cleve 

land, 
Bank  of  Xcnia, 
Commercial  Bk. 
of  Cincinnati, 


I  .ancaster, 
Marietta, 

Warren, 

St.  Clairsville 
Massillon, 

Circleville, 

Putnam, 

Portsmouth, 

Columbus, 

Canton, 
Da)  ton, 
Painesville, 

Cincinnati, 

Zanesville, 

Columbus, 

Cincinnati, 

N' or  walk, 

N'cw  Lisbon, 

Granville, 

Cleveland, 
Xenia, 

Cincinn  tti, 


$500,000 
500,000 

500,000 


321,363  M.  Garaghty. 

132,507  A.  T.  Nye. 


198,662  Ralph  Hickox. 


500,000    240,370 
200,000,    200,000 


VVm.  McNeely. 
Barker  Handy. 


200,000    200,000|Hall  Lawrence, 
500,000;    150,000  A.  G.  Allen. 


500,000i    275,195 


300,000 
100,000 

1,000,000 
500,000 
500,000 


2,000,  )oe 

300,000 
500,000 


300,000 

100,000 
172,882 
152,061 

1,000,000 

266,673 

481,560 


II.  Buchanan. 

J.  E.  Jeffords. 

Wtn.  Fog-le, 
Alex.  Grimes, 
George  Mygatt. 

\\  .  Hooper. 

C.  C.  Gilbert. 

J.  If.  Espy. 


2,000,000 
165,719 

60,000 


630,000    156,728 


J.  N.  Perkins. 
John  R.  Finn. 


B.W.Snodgrass. 


A.  J.  Smith. 


3J),000  230,575  11.  Handy 
100,000 


1,030,000  1,000,000 


E.  P.  Drake. 
James  Hull 


286 


LIST  OF  BANKS. 


Capital 

Capital 

Names  of  Banks. 

Where 

author- 

paid in 

Names  of 

situated 

ized. 

Dec.1837. 

Cashiers. 

Commercial  Bk. 

of  Lake  Erie, 

Cleveland, 

500,000 

500,000 

T.  P.  Handy. 

Miami     Export- 

ing Company, 

Cincinnati, 

296,225 

A.  Moore. 

Branch    at    Co- 

neaut, 

Coneaut, 

Wm.  More. 

Bank  of  Mount 

Pleasant, 

M't  Pleasant, 

200,000 

195,095 

Enoch  Harris. 

Bk.  of  Sandusky, 

Sandusky, 

100,000 

R.  Whitney. 

Farmers'  &  Me- 

chanics'Bk. of 

Steubenville, 

Steubenville, 

500,000 

526,437 

David  Moody. 

Bank   of  Chilli- 

cothe, 

Chillicoihe, 

500,000 

500,000 

J.  Woodbridge. 

Urbana  Banking- 

Company, 

Urbana, 

200,000 

180,302 

W.  Rianhard. 

Bk.  of  Wooster, 

Wooster, 

198,761 

J.  S.  Lake. 

Bk.  of  Hamilton, 

Hamilton, 

300,000 

100,000 

C.  K.  Smith. 

Lafayette    Bank 

of  Cincinnati, 

Cincinnati, 

1,000,000 

1,000,000 

W.G.W.Gano 

Bank    of    "West 

. 

Union, 

AVest  Union, 

30,500 

Alfred  Barnes. 

LIST  OF  BANKS  IN  KENTUCKY. 


Names. 


Bk.  of  Ker.'y. 
Branch  do.  at 

Ditto, 

Ditto, 

Ditto, 

Ditto, 

Ditto, 

Ditto, 
Northern  Bk. 

of  Kt  n'\ . 
liranch  do.  at 

Ditto, 

Ditto, 

Ditto, 
Bk.  ofLouis- 

ville, 
Louisville  Sa 

vings  lnsti 


Where 
situated. 


Louisville, 

Frankfort, 

Lexington, 

Mavsville, 

Danville, 

Bowling-- Green,! 

Greensburg, 

Hopkinsville, 

Lexington, 

Louisville, 

Covington, 

Richmond, 

Paris, 

Louisville, 

Do. 


Capital. 
5,000,000 


3,000,000 


1,150,000 


Capital 
paid  in . 

4,588,770 


2,647,400 


1,150,000 
104.138 


Names  of 
Cashiers. 


G.C.Gwathmev. 
E.  H.  Tavlor. ' 
W.  S.  Waller. 
Robert  Tavlor, 
Thos.  Mitchell, 
Richard  Curd. 
Wm.  D.Barrett. 
R.  Rowland. 

M.  T.  Scott. 
W.  Richardson. 
P.  S.  Bush. 

W.McClanahan. 
Thomas  Kelly. 

A.  Thruston. 


LIST  OF  BANKS. 


237 


STATE  BANK  OF  INDIANA. 

Chartered  1834— Expires  1859. 

This  hank  is  composed  of  a  number  of  branches,  whose  united 
capital  forma  that  oi  the  bank.  One  half  of  the  stock  is  owned 
by  the  Btate.  Bach  branch  haa  its  own  stockholders,  and  is  inde- 
pendent of  the  Othen  in  die  division  of  profits;  but  the  State 
Bank,  and  each  branch  thereof,  are  mutuatlj  responsible  for  the 
debts  of  each  other.  $160,000  ia  assigned  to  each  branch  as  its 
capital,  but  if  that  amount  canot  be  advantageously  used  at  any 

branch,  a  portion  of  the  State  stock  may  be  transferred  to  another 
brunch. 

A  president  and  four  directors  arc  appointed  by  tin-  State,  and 
one  by  each  branch,  and  this  board  meets  periodically  at  the 
of  government.      There  ia  B  cashier,  who  keeps  an  office  at  the 
same    place;    but   the    State    Bank,    as   such,  has  no  ollice  of  dis- 
count and  deposite. 

Each  blanch  has  a  separate  directory;  the  central  board  being 
composed  of  a  representative  from  all  the  branches,  and  having 
a  supervisory  power  over  the  whole,  it  is  not  practicable  for  any 
branch  to  extend  its  business  beyond  safe  limits,  without  the. 
knowledge  of  the  others,  which  being  interested  in  the  risk,  but 

not  in  the  profits  of  each  other,  have  no  inducement  to  assent  to 

such  mismanagement. 


LIST  OF  BANKS   IX   INDIANA. 


Namt  of  Bank. 


State  Bk.of 

Branch  of  d 

Ditto, 
Ditto, 
Ditto, 
Ditto, 
Ditto, 

Ditto, 

Ditto, 
D.tto, 
Ditto, 

I)  tto, 


Indiana, 
itto,  ut 


Win  re  situated. 


Indianapolis, 

Do. 

r.awrenceburgh, 
Madison, 
New  Albany, 
Bvansviile, 
B    I  ford, 
Vincennes, 
La  Fayette, 

Tcirc  Haute, 
Fort   W  a\  lie, 

r  chmoni  l. 


( 'ti])ilal    Xu  mr*  of  rash  iers. 
paid  in. 


,000 

2  15,000 

,000 

.      . 

160,000 
.000 

1     . 

,1)00 

158,812 

16  ',000 


Jam    -   If.    I. 

B.  P.  atoms. 
B.  D.  John. 

John  String. 
J.  R,  Shields. 

John  Douglass. 
D.  I{.  Dumhue. 

John  H 
James  White. 

A.  B.  Fontaine. 
n    IfcCullooh. 
Elijah  Coffin. 


State  Bank,  $  1,903, 


288 


LIST  OF  BANKS. 


STATE  BANK  OF  ILLINOIS. 
Capital  $1,500,000. 

Chartered  February  12,  1835 — to  continue  to  January  1,  1860. 
May  charge  6  per  cent,  discount  on  loans  for  60  days  and  under, 
and  8  per  cent  on  loans  for  over  6  months  and  under  12  months. 
May  have  a  circulation  of  twice  and  a  half  the  capital  paid  in. 
Charter  forfeited  for  not  paying-  specie  within  10  days  after  de- 
mand. 

May  borrow  $1,000,000  additional,  and  loan  the  same  on  real 
estate  at  one  half  its  value,  for  a  term  not  exceeding  five  years, 
and  at  no  higher  rate  of  interest  than  10  per  cent,  per  annum. 


Names  of 

Name  of  Bank. 

Where  situated. 

Capital. 

Cashiers. 

State  Bk.  of  Illinois, 

Springfield, 

1,500,000 

N.  H.  Ridgeley. 

Branch  of  ditto,  at 

Vandalia, 

J.  T.  B.  Stapp. 

Ditto, 

Jacksonville, 

T.  O.  Duncan. 

Ditto, 

Mount  Carmel, 

W.  T.  Page. 

Ditto, 

Chicago, 

Wm.  H.  Brown. 

Ditto, 

Galena, 

—  Bostwick. 

Ditto, 

Alton, 

T.  H.  Lea. 

Ditto, 

Quincy, 

J.  G.  Lamb. 

Name  of  Bank. 

Where  situated. 

Capital. 

Names  of 
Cashiers. 

Bank  of  Illinois, 
Branch  ditto,  at 
Ditto, 

Shawneetown, 

Alton, 
Jacksonville, 

1,700,000 

John  Siddall. 
D.  T.  Wheeler. 

MIAMI  CANAL. 

Mr.  Latham,  resident  engineer  en  the  Miami  Canal,  has  kindly 
furnished  us  with  the  following  statement  of  facts.  He  has  been 
at  some  pains  to  make  them  accurate,  and  they  contain  valuable 
information. 

Statement  of  the  amount  of  tolls  collected  on  the  Miami  Canal,  be- 
tween Cincinnati  and  Dayton,  from  the  commencement  of  naviga- 
tion, on  the  18/ h  of  March,  1828,  to  the  3\st  of  December,  1837— 
a  period  of  about  ten  years.- 


1828,  $  8,507  69 

1829,  20,947  22 

1830,  30,125  77 

1831,  34,016  71 

1832,  40,974  73 


1833,  $52,014  03 

1834,  50,963  11 

1835,  46,561  75 

1836,  52,048  15 

1837,  66,154  72— Total,  $402,214  58. 


MIAMI    I  WAT.. 

Of  this  sum,  there  was  collected  at  the  different  offices  on  the 
canal,  as  Follows: 

Cincinnati, 

II  mi  lion,  ...  .  ISi   07 

M  ddletown, 

Dayton,  ...  1  -,s 

During-  the  above  ten  years  the  canal  was  closed  by  ice,  as  fol- 
lows .- 

1828,  13  days.  1833,  39  da] 

IS     .        days.  l      :.      ;  .ins. 

1830,  53  days.  1835,  12  days. 

1831,  87  days.  18 

1832,  10  d:.:  1837,  22  days. 

Making  an  average  in  10  years  of  33  days  for  each  year. 

The  shortest  time  the  canal  was  closed  in  any  one  year,  was  1' 
days,  the  longest  time,  87  days. 

The  total  cost  of  the  Miami  Canal,  exclusive  of 
the  locks  in  Cincinnati,  is  $ 727,864  84 

The  total  amount  expended  in  repairs,  for  the 
completion  of  the  canal  to  the  1st  Dec.  1837,  is  162,499  60 

The  total  expenditure  for  construction  and  re- 
pairs, up  to  the-  i-,t  Dec.  1837,  is, therefore,  $890,364  44 

And  the  amount  received  in  tolls,  up  to  the  same 
period,  is  -  -  -  -  -  ;  0,214  58 

From  this  statement  we  make  the  following  inferences: 

1st.  The  sum  total  of  the  receipts  has  paid  about  5  per  cent, 
on  the  sum  total  of  the  cost,  repairs,  and  expenses.     This  is  th 
rate  of  int.  rest  actually  paid  by  the  State;  and  hence,  the  canal 
has  now  cost  the  state  nothing  by  taxation. 

2d.  But  next,  the  income  last  year  was  more  thin  7  per  cent., 
and  has  been  progressively  on  the  increase  during  the  whole 
period  in  which  it  was  navigable.  II <  nee,  in  future,  it  must  pay 
both  interest  and  part  of  the  capital.  Consequently,  in  a  very  few 
Mais  (probably  not  more  than  ten)  it  will  have  paid  for  itself, 
both  interest  and  principal,  and  will  be  a  large  source  of  revenue 
to  the  Slate. 


Aa 


290 


LIST  OF  STEAMBOATS. 


A  LIST  OF  STEAMBOATS 

Navigating  the  Louisville  and  Portland  Canal  in  1837 — Showing 
their  respective  Tonnage  and  Canal  Toll. 

Those  boats  marked  thus  (*)  are  principally  new  boats  of  1836, 
or  boats  that  never  passed  through  the  canal  previously;  and  those 
marked  (-}•)  are  boats  of  1837. 

S— Sunk.     D— Defunct.     B— Burnt. 

JOHN  HULME,  Collector. 


NAMES. 

MEASUREMENT. 

CANAL  TOLL. 

Tons. 

95ths. 

Dolls. 

Cts. 

Adriatic, 

381 

75 

228 

95 

Abeona,  S 

151 

90 

60 

Algonquin, 

221 

45 

132 

87 

Andrew  Jackson,  S 

98 

45 

59 

07 

Argus,  D                 - 

121 

89 

73 

13 

Arabian, 

97 

37 

58 

36 

Artiste, 

94 

56 

40 

Alert, 

103 

43 

62 

05 

Aid,  D 

83 

57 

50 

14 

Adventure, 

49 

05 

29 

43 

Argo, 

84 

89 

50 

93 

Arkansaw,  S 

115 

69 

Alice  Maria, 

72 

48 

43 

48 

American, 

128 

40 

77 

04 

Anna  Calhoun, 

loo 

57 

80 

14 

Alpha, 

51 

25 

30 

75 

Augusta,* 

290 

60 

174 

36 

Atalanta,* 

180 

108 

Ajax,* 

120 

27 

72 

16 

Amity,* 

25 

79 

15 

47 

Alabamian,* 

165 

99 

Arthur  M.  Philiph,f 

175 

105 

Avalanche, -j- 

143 

22 

85 

93 

Albany,f 

158 

20 

94 

92 

Astoria,f 

148 

20 

88 

92 

Arab, 

150 

90 

Amboy,-f- 

120 

72 

Arkansas,-j- 

185 

89 

111 

50 

Asia,-f- 

326 

30 

195 

75 

Baltic, 

407 

83 

244 

69 

Belfast,  B 

435 

89 

261 

53 

Boonslick,  S          - 

295 

51 

177  . 

30 

Bunker-Hill, 

301 

11 

180 

66 

Bonnets  o'  Blue,  S 

177 

78 

106 

66 

Boston,  U               - 

148 

14 

88 

88 

Banner,  D 

84 

20 

50 

52 

T  1-  !  I    \MII(|  \  I   5. 


n  v  N  i:s. 

Ml  lAHl    H 

i  \  • 

rOLL. 

/ 

i  'fix. 

Dull*. 

a 

Bonita. 

91 

Bolivar, 

Ben  Franklin, 

83 

59 

29 

Big  Black, 

si 

11- 

48 

68 

B  a  SherrooV  B 

93 

5 

94 

Boonvilli 

111 

60 

68 

76 

Bee,* 

55 

33 

B.l    t,      ,an,*S     - 

85 

51 

Brighton,? 

58 

56 

14 

Baltimore,4 

111 

75 

67 

05 

i  Franklin,* 

194 

45 

116 

67 

Brian  Boroihme, 

187 

112 

45 

Buffalo,f 

115 

30 

18 

Bel] 

45 

120 

87 

Bridg"ewater,+ 

160 

96 

Bonaparte,'!' 

185 

111 

Burlington, "j" 

)0 

35 

IQ 

18 

Black-Hawk, 

55 

95 

73 

I?viHiant,f 

!35 

141 

Buckej 

i: 

Chancellor, 

33 

25  1 

Ml  inn, 

157 

30 

Chief  Justice  Marshall, D 

55 

117 

93 

Champion, 1) 

195 

58 

115 

34 

Caledonia,D 

90 

73 

74 

Companion, D 

89 

45 

53 

67 

Cygnet, 

66 

90 

14 

ivar,D 

84 

20 

50 

52 

Cumanche, 

169 

80 

101 

88 

Citizen,D 

97 

25 

58 

35 

Chian, 

1 

36 

60 

21 

Coquette, 

) 

36 

54 

21 

Chickasaw, 

11 

05 

89 

43 

- 

34 

35 

<    roline, 

48 

112 

48 

Canton, 

SI 

28 

Chesapeake,  D 

77 

86 

Catahooch 

99 

12 

47 

Cumberland,  B 

38 

89 

62 

Cloutierville,* 

l     - 

46 

96 

Chariton,* 

48 

67 

48 

Cohimhus,* 

10 

204 

Clinton,* 

102 

61 

20 

Concord,* 

48 

35 

08 

Cuba,* 

49 

20 

Champion,*  (N.  Y.) 

88 

1  15 

12 

Clyde-/ 

193 

80 

116 

28 

Claibourne,* 

295 

78     1 

177 

46 

2  >2 


LIST  OF  STEAMBOATS. 


IT  AXES. 

M  V.  \sf  R  KM  KKT. 

CAN AL  1 

roLL. 

Tolls. 

95///.S. 

Dolls. 

Cts. 

Crusader,* 

97 

85 

58 

71 

Comet,* 

128 

65 

77 

19 

Commerce,* 

165 

99 

Cavalier, 

110 

66 

Cahawba,* 

99 

45 

59 

67 

Chamoise,* 

125 

40 

75 

24 

Chas.  L.  Bass,*     - 

103 

75 

62 

25 

Camden,y 

103 

35 

62 

13 

Convoy, 

315 

189 

Casket,f 

90 

39 

54 

25 

Ceylon, f  B 

257 

71 

154 

62 

Corinthian/)* 

296 

55 

177 

93 

Columbus,*  [Mobile,] 

194 

50 

116 

70 

Cinderella,y 

125 

25 

75 

12 

Columbian,* 

114 

50 

68 

70 

Chilicothe,y 

299 

80 

179 

88 

Commodore,y, 

225 

135 

Conqueror,  y 

C5  n  /-* 
OOO 

80 

202 

08 

Diana,  S                 - 

103 

25 

61 

95 

Dove,  D 

97 

72 

58 

63 

Despatch, 

105 

15 

63 

09 

Detroit, 

136 

70 

82 

00 

Dover, 

79 

64 

47 

78 

Dubuqe, 

74 

63 

44 

77 

Denmark, 

54 

90 

32 

94 

Dayton,* 

111 

34 

66 

80 

De  Kalb,* 

125 

60 

75 

36 

D.  Crockett,f 

99 

80 

59 

88 

Dolphin, y 

156 

38 

93 

81 

Ellen  Douglass,    - 

270  - 

162 

00 

Express,  No.  1,  D 

105 

81 

63 

48 

Envoy,  D                - 

91 

81 

55 

08 

Emigrant, 

88 

40 

53 

04 

Echo,* 

158 

94 

80 

Exchange.  ' 

67 

83 

40 

69 

Emblei:  . 

120 

70 

72 

42 

Emerald,* 

123 

56 

13 

Erin, 

88 

9J 

53 

34 

Elk,y 

99 

80 

59 

87 

Express,  No.  2,y 

59 

63 

35 

75 

Embassy, y 

144 

92 

86 

95 

Empress,f 

199 

40 

119 

64 

Farmer,  [Cin.] 

277 

rv.-i 
O.) 

166 

39 

Farmer,  [Mobile,] 

232 

03 

139 

21 

Freedom,  D 

142 

82 

85 

69 

Flora, 

118 

75 

71 

25 

Fame,  D                - 

132 

29 

79 

37 

FYee  Trader, 

109 

J     85 

65 

91 

r   or  >n  01  !•.'  \  1-. 


1  •,. 


I     :\  Queen,  n 

- 
1         \ 
Floridian,* 
1 

1  ,f  B 

1     mtier,f 
I  ■ -v, 

•  •' 
Florence,-!" 

1 

1  s,j- 

r        rite,f 
(,       lie, 
( . 

I  liator, 
Galapolis, 

( Senl.  Sumter, 

Geo.   \\ 'ashui    ton,* 

Galenian,* 

G     I.  Gain 

Gip 

Genl.  Brown,* 

< .    \ .  ('I:uk, 

Girard,* 

t .        L  Gulf,* 

G  i:i,f 

(.  iv.  Shelby, -f- 
( .  >r.  1.  PickenSjj- 
.: .  \\       ,-,* 

- 
Hon 
Huntsville, 

II  ne,  No.  1, 

II    :  I) 

Hunter, 

Hurt 

li 

Hawk-eye, 

Helen  Mar,  I) 

Herald,  1) 

Hyperion, 

Hail  Columbia, 

1 1 

11. 

Hudson,* 

Harry  Hill,*  1)      - 


1  NT. 

i  IWAI 

1  nil. 

Us. 

iM*. 

to. 

18 

35 

59 

49 

85 

91 

10 

1 

00 

80 

75 

25 

67 

86 

12 

11  I 

67 

63 

95 

02 

88 

57 

59 

67 

44 

95 

96 

15 

317 

91 

190 

74 

194 

116 

95 

47 

67 

49 

117 

25 

56 

93 

36 

60 

83 

75 

47 

83 

65 

81 

39 

55 

li 

1  1 

00 

92 

I 

25 

92 

L0 

08 

16 

00 

83 

89 

87 

60 

73 

58 

03 

65 

2 

58' 

53 

81 

116 

68 

70 

00 

53 

35 

■ 

51 

78 

167 

63 

32 

1 

19 

00 

1 

35 

96 

r$ 

294 


LIST  OF  STEAMBOATS. 


N  A  M  K  S . 

KZ  kSl'REMKNT, 

CANAL   TO  LL. 

Toll*. 

95M.S. 

Dolls. 

Cts. 

Hinds,* 

130 

78 

00 

Harkaway,* 

91 

47 

54 

87 

Home,* 

75 

45 

00 

H.  L.  Kinney,  p 

135 

S5 

81 

50 

Harp,f 

114 

68 

40 

Indian, 

73 

42 

44 

05 

loway, 

143 

85 

86 

31 

Iberia, 

136 

58 

81 

94 

Illinois,  D                - 

98 

73 

59 

23 

John  Nelson, 

156 

03 

93 

61 

John  Hancock, 

100 

60 

00 

Junius,  D 

130 

78 

00 

Juniata,  D 

110 

66 

66 

39 

Java, 

103 

32 

61 

99 

Irwinton, 

105 

63 

00 

Independence,* 

275 

65 

165 

37 

John  Jay,* 

140 

84 

00 

Invincible,  p 

210 

126 

00 

Jefiferson,j 

350 

210 

00 

John  Mills,p 

223 

45 

134 

07 

Isabella,f 

152 

50 

91 

50 

Irene,-j- 

165 

72 

99 

43 

Itasca,j 

Kentuckian, 

331 

37 

198 

82 

Kentucky,* 

90 

22 

54 

13 

Kansas,  p 

111 

66 

60 

Louisiana,  D          - 

306 

183 

60 

Leonidas, 

97 

66 

58 

59 

Lady  Byron,  D      - 

90 

02 

54 

00 

Lamp  Lighter, 

180 

108 

Lad}-  Franklin,  D 

177 

05 

106 

25 

Lady  Marshall, 

99 

09 

59 

43 

Lady  Scott, 

58 

92 

35 

35 

Lady  Madison, 

113 

13 

67 

87 

Lancaster, 

130 

39 

78 

23 

Logan, 

70 

83 

42 

49 

La  Fourche, 

186 

49 

111 

89 

Laura, 

52 

50 

31 

50 

Lewis  Cass, 

138 

' 

83 

23 

Le  Flore, 

106 

63 

63 

97 

Levant,* 

270 

162 

Lily,* 

82 

48 

49 

48 

Loval  Anna,* 

76 

76 

46 

05 

LeRoy,* 

83 

19 

49 

91 

Lexington,* 

230 

64 

138 

37 

Livingston,* 

175 

49 

105 

25 

London,f 

125 

05 

75 

Louisville.f 

308 

184 

80 

LIST    OF    BTE  IMBO  \  1  "8. 


'.'«•-, 


N   \  M  KS. 


Liberty,! 
Little  Red,+ 
Laurel,!  (U.  S.) 

Little  Koek.f 

Liverpool, -j 

Logansport,-j- 

Mogul, 

Michigan,  D 

Majestic, 

Missourian, 

Mississippi, 

Madison, 

Mountaineer, 

Mt.  Vernon, 

Marion, 

Metamora, 

Minerva, 

Miner, 

Mazeppa, 

Mt.  Pleasant, 

Medora, 

Monroe, 

Missouri  Fulton,- 

Mississippian,* 

Mediator,* 

Mobile,* 

Monmouth,*  S 
Motto,* 

Mariner,* 
Moravian,* 

Masillon,j 

Monarch,! 

Marmora,!  B 
~.Marmion,j 

Manchester,  + 

Maryland,| 

Merrimack,! 

North  America,* 

North  Alabama, 

Nashville, 

Navar.no,  D 

New  York, 

Neosho, 

Navigator, 

Nimrod, 

.  So.  1, 

Nick  Biddle,* 

Newark,* 


M        \MII  KM  IN    I    . 


mis. 

51 
1  J7 
414 

58 

323 
245 

32  J 

162 

86 

139 

89 

87 

57 

114 

90 

210 

88 

120 

198 

225 

230 

135 

82 

98 

324 

96 

317 

261 

105 
121 

244 
445 

3  1 1 
1  - 
117 
105 
88 
69 

58 

1     I 

88 


95th*. 

53 


63 


46 
47 

70 

58 

.-*  ~ 
jj 

54 

75 
04 
58 
25 
40 
37 
54 
75 

53 

80 

52 

82 

11 
70 

45 
35 

70 
05 

87 

75 

35 

45 
56 
55 


<    >Mi.    I  OLL. 


W/.v. 

11 

109 

80 

60 

94 

60 

20 

248 

67 

203 

08 

193 

98 

42 

22 1 

14 

. 

41 

97 

52 

51 

60 

83 

85 

53 

42 

52 

54 

34 

35 

68 

64 

54 

22 

126 

32 

53 

25 

72 

119 

11 

135 

138 

48 

81 

49 

50 

59 

29 

194 

60 

57 

62 

190 

62 

60 

62 

21 

75 

82 

267 

204 

74 

32 

88 

65 

21 

52 

80 

41 

67 

18 

35 

13 

83 

65 

S3 

13 

296 


LIST  OF  STEAMBOATS. 


NAM  KS. 


MEASUREMENT. 


Neptune,* 
Niagara,* 

Naples,! 
Native,  No.  2,f 
North  Star,f 
New  Albany,f 
Orleans, 
Ohio,  D 
O'Connell, 
Olive  Branch, 
Osage,  D 
Ohioan,  S 
Orion, 
Ophelia, 
Oswego, 
Otsego, 
Oceana,* 
Ontario.* 

Othello,' f 

Ozark,! 

Oronoko,-f-D 

Philadelphia, 

Powh:itan,  D 

Paul  Jones, 

Pontchar  train, 

Princeton, 

Potosi,  S 

Planter,  D 

Privateer,  S 

Portsmouth,  D 

Plough  Boy, 

Persian,* 

Prairie,* 

Pittsburg;, 

Pavillion,* 

Patrick  Hen] 

Post  Boy,! 

Paris,| 

Peru,{ 

Passenger,! 

Pulaski,! 

Pioneer,! 

Pirate,! 

Pearl,!  (u-  s0 

Palmyra,! 

Penns)  Iranian,! 

Quincj 

Rob  Roy,  B 


Tolls. 

In  n 
OO 

125 

160 


157 

148 

525 

273 

107 

76 

89 

88 

65 

113 

117 

95 

285 

loo 

130 
367 
101 
269 
149 
132 
125 
121 
107 
146 
97 
81 
430 
296 
144 
83 
93 
140 
131 
291 
157 
44 
112 
128 
94 
101 
134 
117 
192 


Silts. 

27 

20 


45 
85 
82 
47 
46 
59 
38 
56 
69 
40 
32 
45 
73 
75 


67 

06 
73 
40 
05 
51 
68 
15 
19 
45 

72 
87 
45 


25 
67 
61 
10 
23 
27 


CANAL  TOLL. 


30 


20 


Dolls. 
79 
75 
96 

94 

89 

196 

164 

64 

45 

53 

53 

39 

68 

70 

57 

171 

80 

78 
220 
60 
161 
89 
79 
75 
72 
64 
87 
58 
48 
258 
173 
86 
50 
55 
84 
78 
175 
94 
26 
67 
76 
56 
60 
80 
70 
115 


Cm. 

96 
12 


47 
31 
09 
08 
47 
95 
62 
13 
41 
04 
39 
27 
43 
25 


60 
60 
43 
83 
44 
03 
90 
60 
69 
31 
87 
12 
79 
92 

80 

75 
00 
56 
50 
31 
96 
40 
75 
40 
32 
20 


LIS  r  or  -  n  \m  no  \  i  -. 


207 


\    \   S\\  S. 


Robt.  Morris, 
Rufua  Putnam, 
Revenue, 
Rapide, 

Reindeer, 
Richmond, 
Robt.  Emmet,- 

Rienzi,* 
Rodolph,* 
Rover,f 
Reporter, -|- 
Rochester,-|- 
Rolla,f 
Renown,')' 
ooke,+ 
Reserve,')' 
Rodney,'! 
Splendid, 
Shakspeare, 
Samson,  1) 
Scotland,  D 
Signal, 
Science, 
Statesman, 

Shoal  Water,  D 

Si  am, 

Star  of  the  West, 

Swiss  Hoy, 

St.  Lawrence, 

South  Alabama, 

Souvenir, 

Selma,* 

St.  Charles,* 

Southerner,* 

Salem,* 

Savannah,* 

St.  Peters,* 

Swan,* 

Sun  Flower, ' 

Superior, 

Susquehanna,  -J- 

Smeltei-,-}- 

Sandusky,-|- 

Tuscarora, 

Tuacahoma, 

TSskilwa, 

Tuscumbia, 

Tcuula, 


M  1  \SI  H  I  \|  I.NT. 

OAITi  i.  TO  ii  ■ 

Tolls. 

95  lh. v. 

Doils. 

( ft. 

\:\ 

40 

71 

04 

58 

80 

1  • 

05 

73 

127 

09 

76 

104 

39 

62 

63 

32 

88 

19 

72 

103 

22 

17.5 

103 

81 

150 

27 

9  1 

17 

55 

85 

33 

50 

86 

80 

92 

92 

75 

55 

65 

8.5 

40 

163 

97 

80 

115 

69 

00 

99 

59 

54 

354 

66 

212 

79 

227 

136 

41 

198 

18 

118 

90 

158 

94 

93 

140 

87 

84 

50 

50 

75 

30 

45 

136 

76 

82 

05 

99 

03 

59 

41 

54 

76 

52 

75 

00 

121 

60 

96 

111 

36 

66 

81 

165 

90 

99 

54 

88 

53 

29 

355 

213 

18 

1  7 

82 

7<i 

69 

298 

12 

178 

87 

53 

91 

i  : 

54 

52 

119 

71 

61 

112 

55 

67 

53 

7  - 

85 

42 

50 

201 

120 

60 

56 

83 

13 

108 

00 

111 

60 

96 

S6 

86 

I"  ' 

11 

70 

96 

88 

25 

52 

95 

82 

25 

49 

35 

79 

75 

47 

85 

298 


LIST  OF  STEAMBOATS. 


K  A  "MKS. 


Tempest, 

Teche, 

Tuskina, 

Tecumseh,* 

Troubadour,* 

Tremont,* 

Troy,* 

Tuckahoe,* 

Tobacco  Plant,  D 

Tennessee, | 

Terre  Haute,!         111-16 

Triumph,f 

Tarquin,f 

Tanchipaho,-}- 

Uncle  Sam,  I)        - 

Velocipede, 

Vermont,* 

Vicksburg,-* 

Visiter,f 

Victor,f 

Virginia,! 

Victoi'ia,| 

Win.  Penn,  D 

Waterloo, 

Wyoming,  D        - 

Wisconsin, 

Washington, 

Wheeling-, 

Wm.  Wallace,  D 

Warren,  No.  1,     - 

Warren,  No.  2,*     - 

Walter  Scott, 

Warrior, 

Wabash,* 

Wave,  * 

Wm.  Glasgow,! 

Wilmington,! 

Warsaw, 

Win.  Wirt,f 

Winchester,! 

Wm.  Wallace,!     - 

Walk-in -the-  Water,f 

Yellow  Stone, 

Yalobusha, 

Yazoo, 


MKASUB  KMKNT. 

CAN  \  L  ' 

rou. 

Toll*. 

95th*. 

Dolls. 

67*. 

105 

63 

00 

142 

40 

85 

44 

256 

66 

153 

99 

96 

80 

58 

08 

113 

47 

68 

08 

112 

80 

67 

68 

120 

30 

72 

18 

80 

48 

00 

86 

58 

51 

94 

52 

80 

68 

20 

40 

92 

165 

99 

00 

65 

40 

39 

25 

447 

26 

268 

35 

123 

05 

73 

83 

158 

76 

95 

25 

230 

138 

00 

100 

19 

60 

12 

90 

54 

00 

116 

30 

69 

75 

85 

56 

51 

oci 
JO 

84 

06 

50 

43 

90 

10 

54 

06 

98 

88 

59 

32 

87 

56 

52 

53 

139 

78 

83 

86 

93 

37 

56 

00 

60 

36 

00 

290 

50 

174 

30 

73 

77 

44 

25 

193 

45 

116 

07 

100 

1  23 

60 

13 

43 

91 

26 

34 

75 

48 

00 

249 

34 

149 

60 

206 

123 

60 

146 

45 

87 

87 

110 

66 

00 

190 

114 

00 

160 

96 

00 

199 

45 

119 

67 

144 

08 

86 

44 

80 

53 

48 

31 

150 

90 

00 

"TKVMBOAT  KXTLOSIONS. 


Abstract  of  the  II  ats  that  have  passed  and   Tolls  re- 
ceived 07i  the  Louisville  and  Portland  ('mud. 


rmABA. 

SI  rami) 

/•'/// oJ  Keel  Bunt*. 

71 

.lutl   r<  I    ,'   erf. 

i    11, 

18  •    . 
1833, 
1834, 
1635, 

1     '6, 
1837, 

406 
453 
875 
938 
1, 

1,182 
1,501 

421 

179 

710 

23 

355 

260 
165 

76, 

ro,] 

169, 
162,000 

200,413 

is:,  220 
21    . 

{  12,75  1  77 

61,  HIS  17 

- 

6,611 

i           2,713 

1  1,103,32  I 

-   14 

— •  »►*©  ©  6<"**' 


EXPLOSION  OF  THE  STEAM  BOAT  MOSELLE. 

The  recent  explosion  of  the  steam  boat  Moselle,  at  Cincinnati, 
affords  a  mos<  awful   illustration  of  the  danger  of  Btearo  i  i 
tion,  when  conducted  l>\  ignorant  or  careleas  men;  and  full]  su 
tains  the  remark  made  in  the  preceding  pages,  that  "the 
dents  are  almost  wholly  confined  to  insufficient  or  badly  managed 
boats." 

The  Moselle  was  a  new  boat,  intended  to  ply  regularly  between 
Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis.  She  had  made  but  two  or  three  trips, 
but  had  already  established  a  high  reputation  for  and  as 

usual  in  such  >y  whom  she  was  owned  and  command- 

ed, became  ambitious  to  have  her  rated  as  a  "  crack   1  .ml 

spared  no  pains  to  ,\  iH  her  character;     The  new  noticed 

the  quick  trips  of  Mom  lie,  and  passengers  chose  I  >ark  in 

this  boat  in  preference  to  others.     Her  captain  was  an  enterpi 
ing  young  man,  without  much  experience,  bent  upoi  ng  for 

Id's  boat, 'at  all  hazards,  the  distinction  of  being  the  fastest  upon 
the  river,  and  not  fully  aware,  perhaps,  of  the  inevitable  danger 
which  attended  his  rash  experiment 

On  Wednesday,  the  25th  of  April,  between  -1  and  5  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  this  shock  tig  catastrophe  occurred.    The  boat  \ 
crowded  with  passengers;  and  as  is  usually  tin    case  on  our  « 
era  rivers,  in  regard  to  i  passing  westwardly,  the  larg 

proportion  were  emigrants.  They  wen-  mostly  deck-passengers, 
many  of  whom  were  poor  Germans,  ignorant  of  any  language 
but  their  own,  and  the  I  irger  portion  consisted  ot  families,  com- 
prising persons  of  all  ages.     Although  not  a  large   boat,  there 


300  STEAMBOAT  EXPLOSIONS. 

were  eighty-five  passengers  in  the  cabin,  which  was  a  much 
larger  number  than  could  be  comfortably  accommodated;  the 
number  of  deck  passengers  is  not  exactly  known,  but  as  is  esti- 
mated, at  between  one  hundred  and  twenty  and  one  hundred  and 
fifty,  and  the  officers  and  crew  amounted  to  thirty — making  in 
all  about  two  hundred  and  sixty  souls. 

It  was  a  pleasant  afternoon,  and  the  boat,  with  steam  raised, 
delayed  at  the  wharf,  to  increase  the  number — already  too  great 
— of  her  passengers,  who  continued  to  crowd  in,  singly,  or  in 
companies,  all  anxious  to  hurry  onwards  in  the  first  boat,  or 
eager  to  take  passage  in  the  fast-rimning  Moselle.  They  were 
of  all  conditions — the  military  officer  hastening  to  Florida  to 
take  command  of  his  regiment — the  merchant  bound  to  St.  Louis 
— the  youth  seeking  out  a  field  on  which  to  commence  the  ca- 
reer of  life — and  the  indigent  emigrant  with  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren, already  exhausted  in  purse  and  spirits,  but  still  pushing  on- 
ward to  the  distant  frontier. 

On  leaving  the  wharf,  the  boat  ran  up  the  river  about  a  mile, 
to  take  in  some  families  and  freight,  and  having  touched  at  the 
shore  for  that  purpose,  for  a  few  minutes,  was  about  to  lay  her 
course  down  the  river.  The  spot  at  which  she  thus  landed,  was 
at  a  suburb  of  the  city,  called  Fulton,  and  a  number  of  persons 
had  stopped  to  witness  her  departure,  several  of  whom  remark- 
ed from  the  pecul.ar  sound  of  the  steam,  that  it  had  been  raised 
to  an  unusual  height.  The  crowd  thus  attracted — the  high  repute 
of  the  Moselle — and  certain  vague  rumours  which  began  to  cir- 
culate, that  the  captain  had  determined,  at  every  risk,  to  beat 
another  boat  which  had  just  departed — all  these  circumstances 
gave  an  unusual  eclat  to  the  departure  of  this  ill-fated  vessel. 

The  lading  completed,  the  bow  of  the  boat  was  shoved  from 
the  shore,  when  an  explosion  took  place,  by  which  the  whole  of 
the  fore  part  of  the  vessel  was  literally  blown  up.  The  passen- 
gers were  unhappily  in  the  most  exposed  positions — on  the  deck, 
and  particularly  on  the  forward  part,  sharing  the  excitement  of 
the  spectators  on  shore,  and  anticipating  the  pleasure  of  darting 
rapidly  past  the  city  in  the  swift  Moselle.  The  power  of  the  ex- 
plosion was  unprecedented  in  the  history  of  steam:  its  effect  was 
like  that  of  a  mine  of  gunpowder.  All  the  boilers,  four  in  num- 
ber, were  simultaneously  burst,  the  deck  was  blown  into  the  air, 
and  the  human  beings  who  crowded  it  hurried  into  instant  de- 
struction. Fragments  of  the  boilers,  and  of  human  bodies,  were 
thrown  both  to  the  Kentucky  and  the  Ohio  shore,  and  as  the  boat 
lay  near  the  latter,  some  of  these  helpless  victims  must  have  been 
thrown  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  The  body  of  Captain  Perrin,  the 
master,  was  found  dreadfully  mangled,  on  the  nearest  shore.  A 
man  was  hurled  with  such  force,  that  his  head  with  half  his  body, 
penetrated  the  roof  of  a  house,  distant  more  than  a  hundred  yards 
from  the  boat.  Of  the  number  who  had  crowded  this  beautiful 
boat,  a  few  minutes  before,  nearly  all  were  hurled  into  the  air, 
or  plunged  into  the  water.     A  few,  in  the  after  part  of  the  ves- 


STEAMBOAT    EXPLOSIONS.  is  0  1 

•el,  who  were  uninjured  by  the  explosion,  jumped  overboard. 
An  eye  witness  says,  that  he  saw  sixty  or  seventy  in  the  water  at 
one  time,  of  whom  not  a  dozen  reached  the  shore. 

The  news  of  this  awful  catastrophe  spread  rapidly  through  the 
city,  thousands  rushed  to  the  spot,  and  the  most  benevolent  aid 
VU  promptly  extended  to  the  sufferers — to  such,  we  should  rath- 
er say,  as  were  within  the  reach  of  human  assistance — for  the 
majority  had  per' shed. 

The  writer  was  among  those  who  hastened  to  the  neighbour- 
hood of  the  wreck,  and  witnessed  a  scene  so  sad,  that  no  Ian* 
guage  can  depict  it  with  fidelity.  On  the  shore  lay  twenty  or 
thirty  mangled,  and  still  bleeding  corpses,  while  others  were  in 
the  act  of  being  dragged  from  the  wreck  or  the  water.  There 
were  men  carrying  away  the  wounded,  and  others  gathering  the 
trunks,  and  articles  of  wealing  apparel  that  strewed  the  beach. 

The  survivors  of  this  awful  tragedy,  presented  the  most  touch 
ing  objects  of  distress.  Death  had  torn  asunder  the  most  tendei 
ties;  but  the  rupture  had  been  so  sudden  and  violent,  as  yet  none 
knew  certainly  who  had  been  taken,  nor  who  had  been  spared. 
Fathers  were  inquiring  for  children,  children  for  parents,  hus- 
bands and  wives,  for  each  other.  One  man  had  saved  a  son,  but 
lost  a  wife  and  five  children.  A  father,  partially  deranged,  lay  with 
a  wounded  child  on  one  side,  a  dead  daughter  on  the  other,  and 
his  wife,  wounded,  at  his  feet.  One  gentleman  sought  his  wife 
and  children,  who  were  as  eagerly  seeking  him  in  the  same 
crowd — they  met,  and  were  re-united. 

A  female'deck  passenger,  that  had  been  saved,  seemed  incon- 
solable for  the  loss  of  her  relations.  To  every  question  put  to 
her,  she  would  exclaim,  "Oh  my  father!  my  mother!  my  sis- 
ters!" A  little  boy,  about  four  or  five  years  of  age,  whose  head 
was  much  bruised,  appeared  to  be  regardless  of  his  wounds,  but 
cried  continually  for  a  lost  father,  while  another  lad,  a  little  older, 
was  weeping  for  his  whole  family. 

One  venerable  looking  man  wept  a  wife  and  five  children;  ano- 
ther was  bereft  of  nine  members  of  his  family.  A  touching  dis- 
play of  maternal  affection  was  evinced  by  a  lady  who  on  beinfc 
brought  to  the  shore,  clasped  her  hands  and  exclaimed,  M  Thank 
God,  I  am  safe!"  but  instantly  recollected  herself,  ejaculated  in  a 
voice  of  piercing  agony,  "where  is  my  child!"  The  infant,  which 
had  been  saved,  was  brought  to  her,  and  she  fainted  at  the  sight 
of  it. 

A  public  meeting  was  called  in  Cincinnati,  at  which  the  Mayor 
presided,  when  the  facts  of  this  melancholy  occurrence  were  did 
cussed,  and  among  other  resolutions  passed,  was  one  deprecating 
'*  the  great  and  increasing  carelessness  in  the  navigation  of  steam 
vessels,"  and  urging  this  subject  upon  the  consideration  of  Con- 
gress. No  one  denied  that  this  sad  event,  which  had  idled  our 
city  with  consternation,  sympathy  and  sorrow,  was  the  result  of  a 
reckless  and  criminal  inattention  to  their  duty,  on  the  part  of 
those  having  the  care  of  the  Moselle,  nor  did  any  one  attempt      I 

Bb 


302  STEAMBOAT    EXPLOSIONS. 

palliate  their  conduct.  Committees  were  appointed  to  seek  out 
the  sufferers,  and  perform  the  various  duties  which  humanity  dic- 
tated. Through  the  exertions  of  the  gentlemen  appointed  on 
this  occasion,  lists  were  obtained  and  published,  showing  the 
names  of  the  passengers  as  far  as  could  be  obtained,  and  giving 
the  following  result : — 

Killed,           ....             -  81 

Badly  wounded,        .             -             -             -  13 

Miss  ng,         -----  5<5 

Saved, 117 

266 

As  many  strangers  entered  the  boat  but  a  few  minutes  before 
its  departure,  whose  names  were  not  registered,  it  is  probable 
that  the  whole  number  of  souls  on  board  was  not  less  than  two 
hundred  and  eighty.  Of  the  missing,  many  dead  bodies  have  since 
been  found,  but  very  few  have  been  added  to  the  list  of  saved. 
The  actual  number  of  lives  lost,  therefore,  does  not  vary  much 
from  one  hundred  and  fifty. 

Scarcely  had  our  community  time  to  realize  the  horrors  of  this 
explosion,  when  we  received  the  intelligence  of  another,  of 
which  we  subjoin  the  newspaper  account. 

EXPLOSION  OF  THE  STEAMBOAT  ORONOKO. 

On  Saturday  morning,  the  "  Oronoko,"  of  Pittsburgh,  on  her 
way  from  New  Orleans,  collapsed  a  Hue  opposite  Princeton,  about 
one  hundred  miles  above  this  place,  blowing  all  between  the 
boiler  and  the  stern  of  the  boat  literally  into  the  river.  The  deck 
was  crowded  with  passengers,  estimated  at  one  hundred,  and  but 
few  are  left  surviving.  She  was  towed  to  this  place  on  Saturday 
night,  with  about  thirty-five  of  the  wretched  sufferers,  some  dead, 
some  lingering  in  the  torments  of  death,  and  a  few  who  will  re- 
cover. 

As  soon  as  she  arrived,  most  of  the  medical  gentlemen  of  the 
city,  with  numbers  of  our  active  and  benevolent  citizens,  repaired 
to  "the  boat  and  extended  every  relief  that  science  and  humanity 
could  afford  to  the  sufferers. 

The  cabin-floor  presented  the  most  heart-rending  scene  we 
ever  witnessed.  Some  were  literally  parboiled  and  writhing  in 
the  agonies  of  death,  the  skin  had  dropped  from  the  flesh  of 
others,  and  life  was  ebbing  in  some  from  inhaling  steam,  though 
exhibiting  but  slight  evidence  of  external  injury.  The  groans  of 
some,  the  s;lent  agony  of  others,  the  fortitude  and  firmness  with 
which  many  approached  the  brink  of  eternity,  presented  a  scene 
of  horror  and  distress,  most  shocking  to  behold. 

Of  those  who  were  brought  here,  eighteen  or  nineteen  were 
buried  yesterday.     They  were  decently  interred,  and  followed  to 


STKOIBOAT     KXl'l.oMn.NS.  MM 

the  grave  by  u.  large  concourse  of  our  citizens.     Thirteen  were 
alive  hist  night;  but  several  of  these  cannot  possibl)  mrvi 

We  hare  been  unable  to  obtain  the  names  of  those  who  were 
blown  overboard,  as  well  as  most  of  those  who  were  buried  here 
yesterday.  They  were  all  steerage  passengers,  and  many  of  tlieiu 
went  on  board  at  this  place,  BO  that  the  clerk  could  not  give  lit 
their  names.  The  engineer  of  the  boat,  John  Port"  :.  1  Iward 
Stowrs,  an  Englishman,  Mrs.  Planiganand  her  two  children, who 

rted  from  this  place  in  the  Oronoko,  were  among  the  buried 
yesterday.     Mr.  Klanigan  will  recover  from  his  injury. 

We  have  understood  that  sevefi  or  eight  of  those  left  at  Prince- 
ton have  since  d  eil. 

Col.  Oliver  lost  seven  or  eight  of  his  servants,  ami  remained  at 
Princeton  taking  care  of  two  or  three  pf  his  boys  that  are  badly 
scalded,  and  who  are  not  expected  to  survive.  His  celebrated 
race  horse,  Joe  Kearney,  was  scalded  and  dud;  one  other  severe- 
ly injured. 

Tne  cabin  was  as  crowded  as  the  steerage,  and  had  the  explo- 
sion taken  place  ut  breakfast  nearly  all  must  have  perished. 

Mr.  Myers,  who  was  steward  last  year  at  the  Pinckard  House, 
and  his  child,  are  thought  to  be  the  only  cabin  passengers  se- 
riouslv  injured.  He  also  would  have  escaped  injury,  but  when 
the  explosion  took  place  he  rushed  from  his  state-room  into  the 
cabin  with  his  child  in  his  arms,  and  both  were  scalded;  his  wife 
remained  in  her  room  and  escaped.     They  remain  at  Princeton. 

The  "  Oronoko"  is  a  new  boat,  and  one  of  the  largest  on  the 
river.  It  is  a  most  fortunate  circumstance  that  the  accident  oc- 
curred about  daylight,  and  that  the  boat's  berths  are  all  state 
rooms.  Nearly  all  were  in  bed,  and  none  but  those  who  opened 
their  doors  and  rushed  out,  suffered  any  injury. 

Such  was  the  tremendous  force  of  the  explosion,  that  the  box 
of  the  fly  wheel,  with  a  portion  of  the  cabin's  floor  were  bursted 
open,  filling  the  gentlemen's  cabin  with  steam. 

'1  his  awful  catastrophe  will  teach  one  salutary  lesson  on  steam- 
boat travelling — the  security  afforded  by  well  constructed  state 
rooms.  Those  of  the  "Oronoko"  were  properly  ventilated  above, 
and  before  the  steam  had  entirely  consumed  the  atmosphere, 
there  was  sufficient  time  for  the  boat  to  move  out  into  fresh  nr. 
A  gentleman  and  his  family  in  the  ladies'  cabin,  resisted  all  at- 
tempts to  burst  open  his  door,  until  the  steam  had  disappeared. 
He  with  great  presence  of  mind  and  judgment,  applied  his  hand 
repeatedly  to  the  aperture  for  ventilating  his  room,  but  find  ng 
the  hot  steam  rushing  in*,  he  declined  opening  Ins  door.  Tne 
upper  layers  of  atmosphere  were  soon  consumed,  and  they  had  to 
recline  on  the  floor  in  order  to  obtain  air  lit  for  respirat  on. 

There  is,  we  believe, ho  blame  attached  to  Captain  Crawford, 
the  commander  of  the  boat.  He  was  on  the  hurricane-deck  in 
the  discbarge  of  his  duty,  sending  out  the  yawl  for  passengers, 
and  the  boat  had  been  lying-!  o  about  five  minutes.  When  she 
was  getting  under  way,  at  the  third  stroke  of  the  engine,  the  ex- 


304  STEAMBOAT    EXPLOSIONS. 

plosion  took  place.  Porter,  the  engineer,  survived  a  short  time, 
perhaps  an  hour,  and  declared  that  he  had  considered  the  condi- 
tion of  the  boat  perfectly  safe — both  as  regards  the  water  and 
steam.  The  boilers  were  some  six  or  seven  years  old,  having 
been  taken  out  of  the  old  Michigan,  and  Porter  must  have  been 
deceived  in  the  amount  of  steam  or  the  strength  of  the  boilers — 
the  latter  however,  we  understand,  afforded  no  evidence  of  the 
deficiency. 

There  is  a  discrepancy  between  the  statements  of  some  of  the 
officers  and  a  gentleman  who  was  on  the  bank  of  the  river  at  the 
time.  The  latter  says  that  he  thinks  no  steam  escaped  during 
the  time  the  boat  lay-to,  while  some  of  the  officers  are  of  a  dif- 
ferent opinion. 

A  great  many  were  blown  overboard  and  lost.    The  number  of 
lives  lost  is  between  fifty  and  one  hundred. —  Vicksburg  Sentinel. 


